Eyes of Life
by TJuneM
Summary: Ironhide has always been full of suprises, no matter what the circumstances. So why should this time be any different. The old weapons specialist once again proves that he is tougher than anyone dares to believe. BayMovieVerse! Set after DotM
1. Chapter 1

**Author A/N:**

Okay, this is my response to the rather heartbreaking reality that is the Dark of the Moon. Not that i was a bad movie, but it had a few holes I was upset with. The death and forgetting of a certain black mech for starters -.-

Anyways, this is a bunny that just would not leave me alone. So, after watching the movie a couple times, I gave in and this is the result.

I would like to mention that I have only ever seen the 1986, 2007, 2009, and 2011 movies so I apologise now if anything ever seems really off.

I would also like to mention that; My spelling? Not good. My grammar? Not good. I know this, and right now my computer is slagged and I have lost Microsoft Word, and with it the spell check, so If you find any mistakes I ask you to let me know, and I'll get to fixing them asap.

I would like to send a very special thank you to Eowyn77 aka Botosphere for her permission to use their Autobot Holoform names in this fic. And for the ideas she so lovingly offered to make this story all the better :) I highly recommend checking her stories out if you haven't already done so.

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership over the Transformer franchise, this is meant to be strictly for entertainment purposes.

With that, let's get this show on the road!

* * *

><p>It was ... peaceful. And warm, and overall comfortable. He was laying on something soft, a plush mass supporting his head, and a cool sheet seperated him from the scratchy wool of the heavier blanket over him. As more of his senses started to boot up he was aware of the familiar hums, beeps and smells that accompanied the med bay. Ironhide sighed softly, curling up slightly under the blankets and willed himself back to sleep. If he was in the medbay then Ratchet was probably hovering somewhere nearby, and he didn't really feel like arguing with him yet. He was just about to drift off again when deep voices penetrated through his comfortable haze.<p>

"-at even possible?"

"Normally I would say no, but it's kinda hard to ignore the evidence that's right in front of us."

"This creates a interesting situation to deal wi - ow! Slag it Ratchet that hurt!"

"Well sit still then! Primus Optimus you're as bad as he is sometimes. It's not my fault you got your arm severed at the shoulder ... you're slagging lucky I was even able to reattach this."

A heavy, pained sigh. "When do you think he'll wake?"

Another sigh, this one more tired. "By my scans, he should be awake at any time now. Neural processor activity and spark stability are both at a good level. Diagnostics aren't detecting any problem areas in his repair or motor functions ... other than the obvious, he's in as good of health as he's ever been."

With a small frown, Ironhide tried to boot his systems up past 'too slagging early to be functioning', as Bumblebee had dubbed it a couple years eariler. He could already tell something was wrong. His sensors were more active than normal, taking in details he normally wouldn't think twice of. He was more aware of things around him, from the twitch of his own fingers to the light that was leaking over his shoulders.

He felt, _alien. _Something was very wrong, but he couldn't place it. He slowly booted up his optics, taking in the scene in front of him with a growing sense of dread. Optimus Prime was siting on a berth in front of him with Ratchet sitting beside him working on his shoulder. His arm was attached, but still needing obvious work. But that wasn't what had his attention.

He slowly drifted his eyes down to look at his hand, his humanoid, skin covered hand. His tanks clenched as his vents suddenly flaired to life in attempt to cool his panicing frame. With another cruel twist, warnings started flashing through his system, and pain caught him in a tight grip. He couldn't stop the tight groan that slipped through his vocalizers.

"'Hide?" Ratchet was suddenly there, metal fingers hovering over his body and, good_ Primus, _had his hand always been that large? "Ironhide," Ratchet said, a bit more firmly, "are you awake?"

"What ... the ... _FRAG_?" A heavy sigh, "I died, didn't I?" Ironhide managed to grind out as he rolled slowly onto his back and opened his optics again. Optimus had stood and moved beside Ratchet and they were both looking down at him with worry showing clearly in their optics. At his staement, Optimus chuckled softly and Ratchet rolled his eyes.

"You gave us quiet a scare there, old friend." Optimus spoke softly as Ratchet dropped out of view with a flurry of movement. A few seconds later and Ron Hatchett, Ratchet's holoform identity, was beside him. With a well practiced hand the blankets were pulled down to his hips. Ratchet tapped his chest gently, and Ironhides' eyes widened as the material of his shirt and skin underneath opened and shifted away like his normal armor would. His innards were still his recognizable metal frame, as though someone had shrunk him to human size and used his holoform as a cover.

"So ... what happen-ugh." Ironhide cut off with a low moan as Ratchet injected something into an exposed fuel line and the sharp pain faded into a dull ache. He ignored the knowing smirk on the medic's face as metal shifted back into place and skin smoothed over again.

"Better?" There was a familiar, almost smug tone to Ratchet's voice that Ironhide chose to ignore. Instead, he struggled to a sitting position, almost falling back if not for Ratchet's supporting arm around his shoulders. He waited until he felt more balanced before gently swatting him away.

He took a few minutes to take in his surroundings. Just as he originally suspected, he was in the medbay, the human sized cot he was on was placed on Ratchet's work table, close enough for Ratchet to hover, yet still out of the way if a berth was needed. Optimus had taken a seat on Ratchet's chair while the medics' holoform fussed.

"What do you remember?" Ratchet asked while running a series of scans. Ironhide frowned as he tried to access his memory files. He came up with the feeling of satisfaction he always got after he slagged a few cons, pride towards his students' abilities, and the sense of excitment he got when a battle was approaching. Then ... pain, sharp and sudden through his chassis, from Sentinel, Sentinel shot him.

"That fragging, slagged son of a glitch," he growled as pulsing pain worked over his side, "I'm gunna shove my cannons for far up his aft-"

"No, you won't," Optimus cut him off, completely unfazed by the heated glare aimed his way, "Sentinel has been taken care of, both him and Megatron." Ironhide blinked, put slightly at ease with the knowledge the threat was no more.

"How long have I been out?"

"It's been three and a half human months since you were shot," Ratchet supplied, "and before you ask why you're like that ... I don't really know."

"And here I though you were supposed to be the all-knowing medic." Ironhide smirked as Ratchet smacked him lightly over the head.

"Far as we can tell," Optimus spoke up to prevent a brawl, "your spark chamber cut off and detached as your frame was broken down. From there your fall back systems took over and compensated for your situation."

"I know what happened, you got any files on medical procedures for frame break down from before the war?" Ironhide asked as Ratchet's holo flicked out of existence and the familiar sound of shifting metal filled the room.

"Refering to somehing specific?" The medic asked, slightly distracted as he normally was when going through this medical files.

"Just something that was installed before the war, a form of Pretender programming that used to be used in the higher ranks in the Cybertronian military."

"Ah, I got it, it was used before my time as a medic. It's a last resort system that used to be used before the war. Essentially, it is a program that breaks down the frame to when total damage exceds 89%. It uses what it can to reformat you into a Pretender frame. But as time progressed, it became a necessity that took valuable time to work with. It took this long for all your systems to adapt and settle in, and we were luck I even had a back up of your files, or you would basically be a completely new mech. It's another precaution used in case the officer was captured, they have no information at all. Over time it became something that just couldn't be afforded on the front line as the war took over. Why you have it ... well doesn't really surprise me but was unexpected." Ratchet explained.

"It would also explain why the rust overtook you so fast." Optimus commented, "Your programs were focused on reformatting you, not fighting the disease."

"Rust, it would be slagging rust," Ironhide muttered to himself, "so ... am I stuck like this?" he asked, flexing his fingers.

"No, it will take time, we need to get you a new frame for starters, and I need to do some more reading up on this, but in theory we can get you back to normal. Until then, you've been adjusted from Topkick to Pretender."

"Goodie." Ironhide's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he hauled himself to his feet.

"You're taking this awfully well." Optimus noted as he moved his hands to support him if he needed.

"I probably hasn't sunk into his thick processor yet." Ratchet voiced, Ironhide threw a rude gesture at him, earning an amused chuckle from his Prime.

"It's good to have you back Ironhide, things have been way too quiet around here without you."

"Quiet? Not a word I would ever use to describe our group. How's everyone holding up?" Ironhide asked, hesitating for a second before before stepping onto the offered hand of his Prime.

"Good for the most part, most of the damage has been fixed, now we are helping the humans repair as much damage as possible. They have suffered greatly in our battle." Optimus sighed heavily, and Ironhide knew he was blaming himself for every bit of it.

Before the mood could get any darker there was a loud squeal of tires on concrete pierced through the silence. Ironhide shot Ratchet a questioning look, but the medic just shrugged.

"Bee wanted me to tell him when you were up and functional enough for visitors. Scans read all clear, so as long as you take it easy and come to me if anything feels wrong you're free to go." He reached over and plucked Ironhide from Optimus' hand when all he got was a dismissive grunt. Holding him at optic level by the back of his black shirt he glared at his long-time friend. "I mean it, Ironhide, the _second _something feels wrong I want your aft in this medbay or I'm locking you in a jam jar like a bug."

"That glare didn't scare me before, what makes you think it will work when I'm a fraction of your size?" He smirked crossing his arms in defiance as the sound of shifting metal drifted through the door. "And I know I've shrunk, but I'm not small enough to fit in a jar."

"Is that a challenge?" Ratchet huffed, but the smile on his face gave away his true feelings. His optics softened slightly as Bumblebee came through the door with a excited trill when he spotted Ironhide.

"I promise, Ratch," he said as Bee held out a hand for him, giving Ratchet the same unhappy click he gave anyone if one of their human charges were man handled. Optimus chuckled again as Bee grabbed him into an improvised hug, cuddling him close to his cheek plate and making happy clicks and chirps.

"Gah, Bee!"

"You can take him and let everyone know he's alive and kicking." Ratchet laughed. Bee didn't need to be told twice as Bee turned and strode quickly from the room. Optimus smiled and moved to follow, but a bright hand on his shoulder stopped him dead.

"And where do you think you're going, I'm no done working on your shoulder yet."

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Colonel Will Lennox sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose in attempt to fend off a headache. It had been a long couple of months of meetings, rebuilding, and the heart-stopping fear that his robot guardian was dead. Sure Ironhide was tucked safely away under Ratchet's care, but Will was still afraid it was all just a dream and the gruff mech he'd become so close to was really gone.<p>

He was the one who found Hide was still alive. He'd been sitting outside at the time, having finally managed to grab a few minutes to himself after things had settled. He'd gone out to try to give his family's beloved guardian a final goodbye when something caught his eye amongst the pile of rusted metal. Not really wanting to get too close, he'd hopped up on a nearby dumpster to try to get a better view, and nearly forgot to breathe at what he saw.

The face he'd come to know as Aaron Hyde was laying curled up in the exposed chest cavity where the mech spark would normally be. Afraid to hope, but controlled by some unknown force, he'd charged forward and crawled over the rusted skeleton. The body was solid and very real beneath his shaking hands, and he could feel the familiar pulsing of the weapons specialist's spark against his palm. It was a matter of minutes before Ratchet had come to his calls and swept the unresponsive form into the medbay.

Things had been mercifully busy for him after that, leaving him with barely enough time to breathe as clean up efforts took over Chicago. He'd made an effort to get in to see Ironhide as much as he could after Ratchet had confirmed that he was indeed alive. But the wait for him to regain consciousness was taking its toll.

"-nnox. Lennox, earth to Lennox. Hello?" a familiar voice cut through his thoughts causing Will to blink and look to his left. Robert Epps had come up beside him with two steaming cups of coffee, and silently offered him one. Will sighed tiredly and took it with a soft thanks before glancing around.

It was still early, the sun just peaking over the distant horizon, and there wasn't a lot of life signs in the half repaired N.E.S.T. headquarters. Most the autobots were clustered off to one side. Optimus was with Ratchet in the medbay, and Bumblebee had taken off somewhere not long ago. Sam and Carly were in a modified barracks with most of the other soldiers, content to stay among friends rather than go back to their apartment.

"How you holding up, man?" He sighed again, wincing slightly as a sip of coffee rewarded him with a burned tongue.

"'ve been better." He mumbled taking another sip. They could hear the steps of heavy, metal feet coming their way, and turned to greet the yellow mech. The greeting died in Wills throat as a very familiar gruff voice reached their ears.

"-or Primus sake Bee, put me down! My legs work just fine and I am more than capable to moving under my own power! And another thing-"

"IRONHIDE?"

As the yellow mech came into view, Will caught sight of his humanized guardian standing on Bumblebee's palm, eyeing the ground below has though he was tempted to jump. The scout's other hand was ready to catch him if he did, but at the sound of Will's voice he stopped his rant and looked over.

"Ah, finally backup has arrived!" Ironhide exclaimed as Bee came closer, causing Will and Epps both to laugh. "Little help here?"

"Alright Bee, hand him over!" Will laughed, then arched an eyebrow as Bumblebee made a sound that sounded suspiciously like blowing a rasberry. Ironhide rolled his eyes as Epps laughed even harder and kicked Bumblebees' finger.

"Put. Me. Down." He growled without any real heat behind it. With an exaggerated sigh, the scout gently lowered his hand so Ironhide could hop onto the platform. As soon as his feet touched down he was grabbed into a tight bear hug.

"Gah, not you too." He sighed dramatically, but returned the embrace.

"You fragging glitch," Will hissed pulling back and punching his shoulder, "you get to deal with Sarah this time, she's about ready to kick your aft." He laughed at the look on Ironhide's face.

"Glad to have you back, man," Epps said with a large smile as he grasped Ironhide's hand, "and nice makeover."

"Yeah well don't get to used to it," Ironhide huffed, slightly embaressed with all the attention he was getting, "Ratchet says I'll be back to normal once I get a new frame."

"So you're still technically all robo?" Will asked, noticing some of the bots in the corner starting to stir.

"Yep, just human sized, if you want the whole story talk to Rach-HEY!" He was cut of as a large silver hand suddenly grabbed him around the waist and hoisted him up.

"You know this is getting old." He grumped as Sideswipe pulled him up to optic level. He could feel the sensation of a numerous scans move over him as Mirage, Jolt and the Wreckers moved over.

"Yes, I'm still online. Yes, I'm fully functioning. No, I don't really know what happened. Now, _put me down before I kick your afts!" _He accompanied his statment by swinging his leg and kicking Sideswipe's wrist. The motion earned him an eyeroll and an amused snort, but the meelee warrior complied and put him down anyways.

"Yeah, he's fine," the silver bot muttered, "not that you could kick our afts like that anyway," he joked. This earned him a growl from his former mentor as the humanized bot raised an arm. Sideswipe yelped in the most amusing mannor as Ironhide's arm shifted in a similar way to Bumblebee's arm cannon to produce a familiar looking weapon and shot in his direction.

Actually, most of the occupants of the room jumped. Even Ironhide looked at his arm-turned-cannon with interest and surprise.

"Okay, now this I can work with." Ironhide smirked as Will face palmed.

"Yeah, he's just fine."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **yey, chapter 1 done! I'm not sure how long this is going to end up, so if anyone has any ideas they would like to see I encourage you to send them :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Author A/N:**

... wow, this got a much better reception that I was expecting O.o No pressure right lol

**e-dowely: **I agree, Ironhide without his cannons is like a beach without sand ... just plain wrong. :)

**Taraum:** I agree, the only bit of peace I get out of it is the fact that they gave him some pretty kick-ass scenes. And that is indeed one of the main reasons I love this website so much :D

**Dog Soup: **Tell me about it, I cried for the rest of the movie after they killed him. I'm glad you're enjoying this so far!

**Bumblebee'sGuardian: **Lol, I'm glad you think so, I was afraid of making him too OOC, but given the situation, (coupled with other fics I have read about him), I think I'm still in the clear. :)

**2GrayBoys: **This will definitely keep going until he gets back to normal :) And, hmmm ... Unicron, eh? -gears start turning in my head-

**Chocokoko: **I refuse to believe that anything except for age has the potential to kill him, he's way to tough for anything else. And, I have to admit, I owe that little idea to Botosphere. She's given me a few that will be popping up throughout the rest of the fic :)

**LionLover190: **A 'con or two will be making an appearance later on ... I mean come on, what's an Ironhide fic without a good 'con slagging ;)

**keacdragon: **Thanks for the support, hopefully this doesn't disappoint -.-'

**Unbecoming Me: **Glad I can provide this for you then :D I've read some amazing fics where they put him to rest ... but I just can't accept that he's really gone.

**GavinDarklighter: **That's what I liked so much about writing it, it COULD happen ... the chances are microscopic but it's possible :) I'm glad others saw this a 'flowing,' I was worried it would be a little to choppy and confusing for people to read.

Special thanks to everyone who reviewed! Reviews are food for my soul XD!

**Special Announcement: **I would like to send a very special thank-you to Vivienne Grainger for working as this stories Beta! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU 100x Thank you! :D

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership over the Transformer franchise, this is meant to be strictly for entertainment purposes.

* * *

><p>The sound of cannon fire had Sam jerking from a dead sleep in panic. Things had been quiet enough for the last few months that he had finally managed to convince himself that the Decepticons were in fact defeated and gone into hiding. N.E.S.T. members were still attempting to track down any remaining cons that were still kicking around, but scans showed most of them had fled the planet when Megatron was killed.<p>

The sound of war had him assuming the worst, Decepticons attacking, the autobots being defeated, Optimus still wasn't running at 100%, Ironhide was still in a comatose state, and the others wouldn't be able to hold off a army of angry Decepticons for long. Nightmarish scenarios ran through his head as he scrambled off his bunk and landed in a heap on the floor, instinct screaming at him to run now and ask questions later.

Carly had waken to the sound of Sam's cursing. She rolled over and blinked sluggishly at the sight of her boyfriend trying to untangle himself from his military issue sheets.

"Uh, Sam-?"

"Carly! We gotta get out of here, they'll probably come soon! Hurry get up, get up, get up!" he urged as he managed to untangle himself and haul himself to his feet.

"Who? Why? Sam it's too early for this ..." she moaned as she pulled her blanket over her head. Sam stood there gaping at her, the place was probably about to come down on their heads and she went back to sleep? He was about to grab her and throw her over his shoulder when he was distracted by another sound.

Or rather the lack of sound.

He was actually starting to think he'd dreamed the cannon blast. The only things he could hear now were the familiar sound of the base waking up to face a new day. The shuffling of soldiers getting up, the buzz of machines, and the gentle foot falls of the Autobots in the main hanger. He was about to crawl back into his bunk - Carly had a point, a glace at his watch revealed it to be 7:01am - when a loud shot had him jumping out of his skin.

**"YOU SLAGGING, SON OF A **_**GLITCH!**_** WHAT PART OF 'TAKE IT EASY' FAILED TO SINK THROUGH YOUR THICK PROCESSORS?" **

Sam chuckled nervously at the sound of the medic's voice. Someone had managed to piss him off, and the check list of potential culprits wasn't very long. But then again, since Ironhide had been down Ratchet's fuse had been shorter than normal. When he mentioned that to Optimus, the autobot leader had smiled and said something about a form of stress-relief the weapons specialist provided him.

_"Stress relief?" Sam asked, honestly confused._

_"Ironhide and Ratchet have been working together for a long, long time. They've formed a certain ... system they follow. Ironhide can take anything Ratchet throws at him and give it back just as good. It's good for both of them to have someone that isn't afraid of them and they don't have to pull their punches for. You get what I mean?" Optimus explained, looking at the human seated in his hand._

_"Yeah, I think I get it."_

Sam yawned as he made his way towards the main hanger, intent to figure out what was going on.

**"OH NO YOU DON'T! GET YOUR AFT BACK HERE!"** The shout was accompanied by a few bangs and crashes, and the sound of laughter. He walked into the hanger just as Ratchet hoisted some poor soul into the air by his ankle.

"For the record, it was completely unintentional," the figure groused in Ironhide's gruff voice, swinging his body up to grip at Ratchet's fingers, looking suspiciously like a monkey in a tree, "how was I supposed to know how my weapons system adjusted in this frame? And one cannon blast isn't going to drain me."

Sam hiked up the human sized platform to stand beside Lennox and Epps, watching as Ironhide wiggled his foot from Ratchet's grip and scurried up the medic's arm with a fearlessness no human would ever have, no matter how long they worked with the Autobots.

"Of course, cause _you're _the all-knowing weapons specialist." Ratchet's voice was absolutely dripping with sarcasm. Everyone was trying to hold back laughter at the sight of the medic trying to grab hold of Ironhide again, but the weapons specialist managed to evade the seeking fingers.

"So ..." Sam started, glancing over at Lennox as Optimus joined the crowd.

"Ironhide's awake." The Lieutenant Colonel smirked, causing Sam to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, I figured out that much." They both watched as Ironhide jumped from the medic's frame to Optimus' extended hand. Ratchet mutter something in the bot's native language that caused the others to laugh and Ironhide to smirk smugly.

"Alright, alright," Optimus chuckled as he dropped Ironhide back beside the humans, "let's bring him up to speed."

Everyone sobered up rather quickly as they launch into the retelling of the last couple months. Ironhide scratched at his side absently at the mention of Sentinel's betrayal, and shot a glare at Ratchet as the medic ran another scan over him.

:: _I'm fine, Ratch, get off my back. _::

Ratchet didn't respond, but he didn't stop his scan until he was satisfied. Ironhide frowned at the retelling of the Autobot's official exile, and the battle in Chicago.

"So we lost Wheeljack." It wasn't a question, but everyone could see the way he was going over the information in his processor. No doubt trying to work out what may have been different if he'd been there.

"We're hopeful we can do something to change that," Optimus said quielty. "Ratchet is working to repair as much as he can with the hope the Matrix may be able to help."

"But I need more parts," Ratchet spoke up with a frown. "I've exhausted all my resources."

"So what's the plan?" Lennox asked from where he leaned against the safety rail.

"Ideally, I would like to be able to return to the remains of the Ark on the moon. That would be our best best for the parts we need, but ..."

"We do not want to put unnecessary strain between us and your human leaders. They have acknowledged their mistakes of the past, but still have clear doubts about us." Optimus took over when Ratchet trailed off. "With none of our lives in immediate danger, I believe they will be hard pressed to allow us clearance."

"We can help with that," Lennox offered.

"Yeah, I mean I'm already part of that, I'll see if I can call in a few favors and pull some strings," Epps agreed, earning a grateful nod from Optimus.

"We appreciate any help you can offer at this point," Optimus said, "but in the mean time we need to plan what we are going to do with him." He smirked again as he pointed at Ironhide, all dark feelings lifting.

"Good point," Ratchet added with a smirk as Ironhide groaned and rolled his eyes.

"I swear to Primus, as soon as I'm back to normal I'm kicking your aft," he growled to the amusment of everyone else in the room.

"But seriously, you're on medical leave until we get you back to normal," Ratchet finished.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Ironhide shouted as Ratchet merely smirked. "I can't stay off duty that long, you don't even know how long that will be!"

"Well, unless there is an emergency," Optimus said, "there is no doubt you could still hold your own if need be, but that was way too close for comfort, Ironhide. In wake of all the death that has happened, we are not going to risk it."

His tone left no room for argument causing Ironhide to sigh heavily. "So, what? You just going to stick me in a bubble until I get a new frame?"

"As amusing as that would be, you'll be staying with us until things work out," Lennox said with a smile, earning one back from the old mech.

"Okay, that I can live with."

* * *

><p>"I changed my mind, I'd rather be stuck in a bubble."<p>

"Oh come on 'Hide, I didn't know Sarah was planning to host a family reunion."

"Regardless, where exactly am I supposed to stay, since you and Sarah both have made it clear the garage and barn are out of the question?"

"Yeah that would look good, close family friend being exiled to the barn 'cause the house is full of other family members."

"Never stopped you before," Ironhide challenged with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah, when you were Ironhide, not Aaron Hyde." Lennox sighed from his place seated on his bunk. Ironhide was sitting on a nearby desk chair with his arms crossed. It had been about a week since Ironhide had woke up, and they had hit an unexpected snag with their plans. Sarah's mother had insisted on a sudden family reunion, saying they needed to spend some time together in wake of the tragedy that was Chicago.

Sarah's uncle and his family were actually living in Chicago when the attack happened. They had been lucky and sought refuge in their basement, hiding out until things cleared up. Thankfully, their house was tucked along the edge of the city, so they managed to avoid detection, but it was too close for any of their comforts. The result was the sudden calling of a family reunion. Sarah, of course, had been all to happy to offer their country home property for the event. It was the only space big enough at such short notice. Unfortunately, with the entire family making an effort to come, every tent, couch, carpeted floor, and even the rarely used camper was already claimed.

"Look: just smile and nod and agree it's a human thing."

"Doing that still doesn't solve the problem, though." Ironhide sulked, not that he would ever admit it. He had made it very clear that, if his charge was leaving the base, he was going too. And as soon as Will had mentioned that the whole family was coming together, he was more insisent than ever to be there and stand guard against any potential threats.

"No, I suppose it doesn't," Will agreed with a sigh. "You can't like, I don't know, take on another form or something can you? Like you did before?"

"It's possible." Both males jumped as Ratchet's holo, AKA Ron Hatchett, walked into the room. He walked over the Ironhide and cupped the back of his head. With a smooth, well practiced move, he pushed the dark-haired head forward roughly and tapped at the back of his neck. The skin-like armor shifted and moved under his touch as Ironhide growled fiercely.

"Slag off, medic, you just checked those wires a joor ago, nothing's changed." He snapped, shoving the medic away.

"Look, you do what you do best, and I'll do what I do best," the medic snapped back but let the back of Ironhide's neck shift back to normal.

"And what's that, being a pain in my aft?"

"Nope, that's just a perk," Ratchet smirked and dodged the halfhearted punch the weapons specialist threw at him.

"What do you mean, 'it's possible'?" Will asked as the two continued to glare at each other.

"Exactly what it sounds like, as long as the other form is within his frame limitations he is able to take another form. Probably nothing motorized like before though," the medic said as he leaned back against the desk. "It's along the same lines as before; one form, in this case his Pretender frame, acts as his more common root mode, and the alt mode would serve the same purpose as his Topkick form."

"A disguise?" Will guessed.

"More or less," Ratchet agreed, "although considering how human he is now, he doesn't really need it."

"But he could like, you know, take on a animal form or something?" Will asked again and both mechs could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

"Technically ... yes," Ratchet said cautiously as a slow grin formed over Will's face. Ironhide just groaned.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" he groaned again as the grin on Will's face just grew bigger.

* * *

><p>"So how long is your family going to be staying, Will?" Optimus asked through his radio as they drove down the highway. The blue and red semi had insisted on taking Will and Ironhide back to the Lennox property. Ironhide had drifted off at some point, and leaned his head against Optimus' window.<p>

"Most of them will only be here for the weekend. As crazy as everything is in the Chicago clean up effort, life is still going on in other places. Some people can do little more than offer support by donating to the cause."

"It is rather remarkable how much you humans show support to each other, even if you live on opposite sides of the planet," Optimus remarked as they turned off the pavement onto a gravel road.

"We do what we can." Will agreed as he stole a glance at his current traveling companion. Technically they weren't supposed to return to Wills home until Friday, and it was only Wednesday. However, an insistent plea from Sarah, and Ironhide's own feeling of restlessness, had granted them early leave. Sarah and Annabelle had been absolutely thrilled when Will had called them with the news.

Ironhide said it was more like a death trap.

Sarah Lennox was one of the few beings that could intimidate Ironhide, as he had found out the hard way when they first met seven years ago. None the less, the woman had practically adopted the black mech into the family, along with the other Autobots, offering them a "home away from base" when they felt they needed a break.

Ironhide would never admit it to anyone else, but he liked the time he spent with the Lennox family. It gave him hope that more peaceful times were possible.

Will looked up as his familiar house slowly came into view. He reached over to shake Ironhide's shoulder as Optimus stopped in the driveway.

"Up and at 'em, tough guy, time to face the fire." He smirked slightly as Ironhide opened his eyes slowly and groaned.

"Yeah, that bubble is starting to sound _really _good right about now," he commented dryly as Sarah came out the front door in a rush. She met him with a tight hug before his feet even hit the ground.

"You pit-slagging son of a glitch!" she cursed, voice slightly muffled by the material of his shirt. "Who gave you permission to get hurt like that? Three months, _three months, _you made us wait! Every time the phone rang I was convinced it was someone calling to say it was a false alarm, and you were really dead, and, and-"

"_Breathe, _femme, I'm alright," he muttered softly, pointedly ignoring the sniggers coming from Will and Optimus behind him. She pulled back suddenly, tears clinging to her lashes, and grabbed his face with both hands. She tilted it from side to side as she took in his appearance. Dark, tousled hair, three-day stubble along his chin, familiar scar over his eye, and even more familiar piercing blue eyes.

"I`m so glad you`re okay," she whispered, gently kissing his cheek before pulling him back into a hug, "Welcome back, `Hide."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So hopefully this stood up to everyones expectations. Chapter 3 is in the writing process, so you'll being hearing from me again soon enough! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Author A/N:**

Hello again everyone! Bit of a shorter chapter this time, this one just did not want to be done ... it's more of a time-filler than anything, things will start picking up more in the next one :)

Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/favourited, it really means a lot 3

**e-dowely: **Ironhide and Ratchet interactions are my favourite :) I'm glad you feel I'm doing them justice. lol, I admit, I toyed with the idea of horse Ironhide for awhile ... but I just couldn't see him as anything without a touch of danger to it ;)

**Borath: **I'm glad you think so :D As great as the Martix is, the idea of it managing to pull someone back from death (without a proper frame to boot,) is a bit of a stretch for me.

**Kungzoune: **I know right? I was waiting for the entire movie for them to mention him again and was extremely disappointed when they didn't -.- I mean, no one even questioned why Ironhide wasn't with the others when they were exiled from Earth, would it really have been that hard to put it in?

**SunlightOnTheWater: **They didn't give Sarah enough screen time in these movies, which I _can _kind of understand, but still ... I can so picture her being all mother-hen on the autobots XD

**keacdragon: **good guess! I personally think he suits the role quite well :D

**LionLover190: **lol, glad you're enjoying it :D thanks for reading!

**Kh530: **I went and saw the movie the day it came out, so I didn't have any spoilers to worry about ... but when Ironhide was killed, it was only the fact I was sitting in the theater that I didn't jump up and scream at the screen ...

**GavinDarklighter: **That had to be my biggest beef with the Bay movies ... it's called _Transformers, _shouldn't that mean there should be some strictly Transformer moments in there somewhere? The first one had a good one ... but next to nothing in the others :( Hide and his cannons ROCK! And I can totally see him as a dog, and when you stop and think about it, it works ;)

**Chocokoko: **The bubble threat is a favourite in my family, whenever one of us kids got hurt my mom would threaten to 'trap you in a bubble until you move out!' XD

**Azura Tyrant: **I'm glad to hear that! Making sure they stay mostly in character is important to me, and the pressure is on since I've only seen the movie's -.-'

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership over the Transformer franchise, this is meant to be strictly for entertainment purposes.

Another special thanks to Vivienne Grainger for the edit!

* * *

><p>Good Primus, and Ironhide thought Ratchet had a hovering problem! After he had managed to untangle himself from the woman's arms, the blonde ushered everyone into the house. Optimus had activated his holo, saying he couldn't stay long, but was still slightly hesitant to leave his weapons specialist.<p>

Ironhide thought they were both being ridiculous.

"Oh for- Sarah, I'm not going to disappear if you blink. _Sit down!_" The blonde promptly tested his theory, then boldly ruffled his hair in fond amusment before taking a seat next to her husband. Ironhide supposed it was good Annabelle was still in school, or he would have his own personal lap warmer.

And Will? Well, in Ironhide's opinion, Will was enjoying this way too much.

"Wipe that smirk off your face before I do it for you," he growled at his charge, which only served to make the grin spread.

"Play nice, boys," Sarah said with a teasing smile, causing Optimus to chuckle warmly. Yes, Ironhide would be taken care of here.

* * *

><p>The next few days had gone by surprisingly fast as they prepared for 'the invasion of in-laws,' as Will had dubbed it. Apparently, Sarah's parents didn't really approve of Will's career choice, and made sure that he knew every time they came in contact with him.<p>

"It is an honorable choice of lifestyle," Ironhide had commented, trying to puzzle it out, "why do they disapprove?"

"It's more the fact that they worry he'll be killed and I'll be left alone," Sarah explained as the three of them worked to clean the house up.

"Not in your dad's case," Will piped in from his spot doing the dishes, "he's more worried I'll get injured and 'become a burden to you.'"

"So my parents are a little old-fashioned," Sarah had said with an eye roll, since clearly this was a conversation that had come up a lot, "but I'm their only birth child, they want what's best for me."

"Only birth child?" Ironhide had asked, Will just smiled.

"Google 'adoption'," he suggested, boh humans waiting quietly as 'Hide's eyes lost their focus. This was common when the bots communicated through their comms or accessed the internet while in thier holoforms.

"So you have a sibiling who was not born into your family?"

"Yep, I have an adopted brother, and cousin, whom you will meet tommorrow," Sarah smiled brightly as Annabelle walked into the room. The seven-year-old had a look of absolute concentration on her face as she dragged the broom behind her. She had just gotten home from school about an hour ago, but she insisted in 'helping'.

The little girl had been absolutely thrilled when she'd gotten out of school to see her beloved Uncle Hide waiting to pick her up with her mother the day before. She lauched herself into his arms and refused to move, even as Sarah tried to get her to buckle into their family vehicle. She'd finally agreed to be buckled in, but Ironhide had to sit beside her in the backseat, and she held one of his large, calloused hands in both of her own like he was her stuffed animal. She'd chatted nonstop all the way home, telling Ironhide everything he'd missed in the last three months.

It wasn't until she had fallen asleep in his arms hours later, with her head rested against his shoulder, that she let him go. And, Ironhide would never admit it out loud, but he enjoyed the attention from his youngest, and dearest, charge.

"So," Sarah began, causing both males to wince at the tone of her voice, "you still haven't told me what your plan is for this weekend."

Will and Ironhide had both insisted that they had a plan for what Ironhide was going to do this weekend, but neither was telling. They'd left it at "he'll be here, but he won't be in the way and you and Annabelle are going to love it." Sarah noted that Will seemed more excited about it than Ironhide, but didn't comment.

"You'll see tomorrow," Will smiled as Ironhide just rolled his eyes, "we'll let you know before anyone shows up."

"Can I see tonight?" Annabelle asked, batting her baby blues up at Ironhide. It was a look that the gruff old warrior couldn't resist, and Annabelle knew it. "Please? I gotta go to school tomorrow so I won't see."

"You'll see when you get home," Ironhide tried, but he knew he was already fighting a lost battle.

"But that's soooo long!" Annabelle whined as she tugged at his shirt. "Please?"

Ironhide tried to resist, really he did, but he was helpless in the wake of her puppy face. He sighed and looked over at his two adult charges. Both of which, he noted dryly, were pointedly ignoring the exchange with knowing smirks on their faces.

"Pretty please?"

"Alright, youngling," he gave in as he knelt down to her level, "if you promise to help finish cleaning the house, _and _do your 15 minutes of reading out loud, I'll show you before you go to bed. Deal?"

"Deal," Annabelle agreed, and very seriously shook the hand she was offered to seal the deal, before giggling happily and hugging him tightly around the neck. Ironhide smiled fondly as the little girl grabbed the broom and continued attacking the floor with a new enthusiasm. An amused snort from the corner had Ironhide narrowing his eyes.

"Shut it, Will."

* * *

><p>True to her word, Annabelle helped out with the rest of the cleaning, and sat on Will's knee to read out loud. For a seven-year-old, her reading skills were well developed, and everyone stayed quiet to listen to her.<p>

Soon enough, supper was cleaned up, (_"No, Sarah, I told you the barrels of fuel in the barn are still all I need, remember I'm still essentially the same as I was before."_), the house was spotless, and Annabelle was in her pajamas. The little girl walked purposefully into the living room, where the rest of the family had gathered, and sat on the chair looking expectantly at her mechanical guardian.

"You did agree," Sarah reminded as Ironhide, laughing at his "deer in the headlights" expression. With a dramatic sigh the weapons specialist smiled at the humans before him.

"This is actually a good idea, now we can make sure the story is straight between all us before everyone gets here," Will commented from his place on the couch.

"Alright, alright, close your eyes," Ironhide smirked at Sarah's questioning stare as Annabelle eagerly covered her eyes with her hands, "what? It's a _surprise._"

The blonde woman rolled her eyes with a smile but complied. Soon the room was filled with the familiar sound of shifting metal as Ironhide changed his shape. She almost opened her eyes out of reflex, usually this sound ended with a giant 30 foot robot, and she was painfully aware of the fact they were still in the house. She relaxed slightly as the sounds faded and the house was still apparently in one piece.

She jumped at the sound of her daughter's excited squeal and the sound of feet on the floor. She opened her eyes in time to see her daughter tackle a large, furry black mass to the floor, and heard husband's laugh.

"A dog?" She tried to keep a straight face, really she did, but the sight of her daughter cuddled up to the large wolf-like dog that was their robot guardian was too much.

"The official story," Will laughed as Ironhide struggled back into a sitting position with Annabelle clinging to his neck, "is that 'Hyde' here is a military Search and Rescue dog. He was injured on a mission and is still off duty until he gets a clean bill of health. His owner was called out to a family emergency and, since he and I are such good friends, I offered to take care of Hyde till he gets back."

"And who exactly is his 'owner'?"

"Field medic by the name of Ron Hatchett." Will said, trying desperately to keep a straight face. Sarah couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips, cauing Ironhide to shoot a glare her way.

"I was going to go Rottweiler, but Will pointed out that the breed typically isn't used in this field of work." Ironhide's mouth didn't move when he talked, it was more like Bumblebee's style of speaking through the radio.

"German shepherd suits you; protective of family, loyal, and dangerous if you get on their bad side." Sarah paused, "although I don't think I've ever seen a black one before though, or one that big."

"It's not unheard of."

Annabelle yawned suddenly, a glance at the wall clock revealed it was already past her bedtime. She buried her face into Ironhide's furry shoulder with a happy sigh.

"You're fuzzy," she giggled. Ironhide rolled his eyes, but gently nudged her head with his snout.

"Bed time, youngling."

"But I don't wanna."

"Annabelle ..." Sarah scolded lightly.

"Look at it this way," Ironhide stepped in to prevent a temper tantrum, "the sooner you go to bed, the sooner you'll get up and go to school, which means the sooner you'll get home tomorrow, right?"

Annabelle frowned, wrinkling her nose as she worked through his logic.

"Right," she finally agreed and let him go. Another flurry of movement and Aaron Hyde stood up, pulling her up into his arms. She yawned again as Sarah took her and gently kissed her forehead.

"Say goodnight, baby."

"Night daddy, night 'Hide," she mumbled, already half asleep.

"Good night, baby girl."

"'Night, sweet spark."

Will waited until Sarah had disappeared up the stairs before smirking.

"Yeah, you're a big tough weapons specialist."

He got a rough punch to the shoulder in response.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Next one should be longer :) Next chapter: Family reunion time! XD


	4. Chapter 4

**Author A/N:**

Hey again everyone! Here's chapter 4 AKA Family Reunion pt 1 :D

**SunlightOnTheWater: **Isn't she just, she has Ironhide wrapped around her little finger and everyone knows it XD

**Cybela: **I only wish they would show more of it in the movies ... they had way to much air time for Sam (don't get me wrong he is a good character, but he wasn't the only one -.-) I hope you enjoy this!

**GavinDarklighter: **I had the same image as I wrote it, I sat there giggling the whole time XD Ah yes, there will be some humerous results to that little 'arrangement' laer in the fic heheheheh ...

**Mieschers: **Yeah, I think a dog is a good fit for him XD

**keacdragon: **I want a German shepherd too ... they're sure amazing animals!

**sunkissedvampire: **Yey for Ironhide indeed! It broke my heart when they killed him :(

**Chocokoko: **I love Annabelle and Ironhide moments ... they are so cute!

**Silver Mirror: **Ironhide is the kind of character I can see taking anything and everything in stride ... I'm glad you're enjoying this :D

Thanks again to everyone who read/reviewed/favourited!

And thanks again to Vivienne Grainger for the edit!

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership over the Transformer franchise, this is meant to be strictly for entertainment purposes.

* * *

><p>Ironhide watched the growing crowd with a sense of dread. He wasn't sure what to expect when Sarah said most of her family was coming in, but this was ridiculous. People had been arriving steadily since 11 o'clock this morning, and showed no signs of stopping.<p>

Sarah's parents, and step brother, had arrived first. Followed by her aunt Astrid and her family, then numerous other cousins, second cousins, and just about every other family member you could name. Will had sat in the kitchen with Ironhide as the family reunited, the look on his face matching what Ironhide was feeling. The dog sniggered quietly and sent him a text.

**'You fight Decepticons on a regular basis, and yet you're afraid of a few family members?'**

Will narrowed his eyes and aimed a gentle kick at the dog under the table.

"I'm not _afraid_ of them!" he hissed.

"Afraid of who?"

Will jumped slightly as a well-aged man walked into the room, Ironhide just lifted his head in mild interest.

"Hey, Grampa Ollie," Will greeted while turning to face the man. Ironhide made a quick cross-reference between the man and the information Sarah had been giving him all morning. Numerous photo albums had been opened in attempt to give Ironhide names to match the many faces that would be staying in the house for the weekend. This was her grandfather, on her mother's side, Corporal Oliver Looke; vetern of the Vietnam War, and only other military member of the family. For that reason, he was one of the few family members that actually seemed to like Will.

"Been a while, m'boy," Ollie met him with a hearty handshake and a warm smile, "you still givin'em hell on the field?"

"Always."

"That's m'boy!" Ollie laughed as Will helped him sit on one of the kitchen chairs. "Now what's this being afraid of someone, need me to beat'em up for ya?"

Nah, nothing like that," Will laughed, "I was just talking to the dog."

"You guys got a dog?" Ollie frowned, tilting his body to look under the table where Will pointed in reply. He whistled in approval as Ironhide came out from under the table to sit in front of him. "Now _that's _a dog. When did you get him?"

"We're just minding him for a few days for a friend of mine; he was injured a couple weeks ago during one of their operations."

"'Operations?' He's a military dog?" Ollie asked as he gently stroked Ironhide's head.

"Search and rescue, his name's Hyde."

"Hyde, eh? We had a dog like this during the war ..." Ollie trailed off as though caught in a memory, fond smile on his face as he continued his caress. Ironhide decided he liked this family member, anyone who could find a reason to smile after such a war earned his respect.

"Will?" Sarah poked her head in the room at that moment. She smiled softly at the image before her as he addressed her husband, "Can you help us put that tent up now?"

Will had shot Ironhide a suffering look as he got up to follow Sarah out the backdoor. Ollie watched them leave with a knowing smirk on his face.

"They make a good couple, even if she does have him whipped."

_'Human, you have no idea.' _

* * *

><p>It wasn't long after the tent was up before everyone moved outside. Ironhide followed, settling comfortably on the porch, a spot where he could watch everyone without having to be involved.<p>

"What did you say the dog's name was again?" Valerie, Sarah's adopted cousin, asked from her spot sitting beside Sarah in the shade of a tree. Her nine-month old baby, Rosalie, was laying on a large blanket between them, but had her undivided attention on the figure on the porch.

"His name is Hyde," Sarah said with a smile, gently offering Rosalie one of her baby toys. The little girl fiddled with it for a few seconds before her attention was drawn back to Ironhide. The little girl had a fine dusting of auburn hair on her head, the same color as her mother's. It was one of the defining features that told of Valerie's adoption, since Sarah's family had blonde hair and blue eyes almost exclusively.

"He's very well behaved."

"Well, he is a military dog," Sarah smiled as Annabelle ran by with a gang of cousins in tow. The little blonde was absolutely delighted to have more children to play with, and from what Sarah could hear, they were planning a game of hide'n'seek.

While her mother and aunt were distracted, little Rosalie had pulled herself up to her hands and knees and started crawling speedily towards the house. Walking was still uncertain for her, but she had mastered this art of locomotion. She had just made it to the edge of the blanket when uncle Will grabbed her.

"Hey squirt, where do you think you're going?"

Rosalie looked up at him, still trying to remember his face, but she soon settled for whining her disapproval for the interruption of her quest.

"You wanna meet Hyde, kiddo?" The question was aimed at the squirming baby in his arms, but he looked over at Valerie for persmission. The redhead bit her lip nervously, but nodded her consent. Will smiled and placed the baby in her mother's arms before plopping down beside them both and whistling.

"Hyde, come'ere buddy!"

Ironhide had spend a good portion of the night studying dog behaviour and etiquette. He wanted to make sure this weekend went off without a hitch, and after spending the last seven years on earth he had no excuse for screwing anything up. However, that didn't mean he had to like it. Lennox owed him a wash and wax for this.

He stood up and moved off the porch slowly, glaring at his charge best he could. Will just gave him an innocent smile and rubbed his shoulder as the dog sat down beside him. Rosalie was bouncing on her mother's lap in exictment, stubby arms reaching for the large furry mass that was seperated from her by her "uncle".

Iornhide, from years of dealing with Bumblebee as a sparkling, and with Annabelle when she was this age, slowly leaned over to sniff at her hand. He kept an eye on the little girl's mother, ready to move back if the woman got too nervous.

Rosalie rubbed her hands over Hyde's muzzle with intense concentration. Her movements were awkward and jerky, as most movements for someone her age were, but Ironhide sat quietly through the process. He only moved when the little girl did the other thing children her age were known for, testing things by putting them in her mouth. He pulled back with a snort, wincing at the feel of drool on his nose. More than one person laughed; many family members watching the scene as it played out. Will, thankfully, wiped the drool off his guardian's nose while Sarah laughed and took Rosalie onto her lap.

"No, baby girl, you need to be gentle with the puppy," she cooed in a baby voice, it took almost all Ironhide's self-restraint not to growl at the woman, "see? Gentle." She took one of the baby's pudgy hands in her own and reached over to stoke the back of Ironhide's neck. Rosalie giggled happily at the feel of fur under her hand, Ironhide just huffed quietly and layed his head down on his paws.

A sudden ping from his internal communication system had him perking up.

_::Optimus to Ironhide, how are things going?::_

_::Could be worse I suppose:: _Ironhide answered as he eyed Rosalie. The little girl had crawled off Sarah's lap and was now leaned against his shoulder.

_::How many humans are there now?::_

_::42 so far, but Sarah's uncle and his family aren't here yet::_

_::I see. Sideswipe and Bumblebee are on standby if you require backup::_

_::Understood, but I doubt it will come to tha-OW!::_

_::What? What happened?::_

_::And how long will it take me to repair it?:: _Ratchet suddenly joined in.

_::What the-have you been listening in this whole time?:: _Ironhide snorted as Sarah gently pried Rosalie's hand from its grip on his ear. The little girl just grinned happily as she cuddled back against his side.

_::Everything's fine, just a human sparkling with a bit too much enthusiasm::_

_::You're awfully good with dealing with that age group...:: _Ironhide narrowed his eyes at Ratchet's comment, he could practically see the smirk on the medic's face.

_::All right, all right, settle down, you two. I just wanted to check in and let you know we have clearance to return to the Arc:: _Optimus said, causing Ironhide to perk up.

_::Who's going?::_

_::Myself, and Ratchet. We'll be going on Monday and I hope to return quickly::_

_::How long is it going to take to rebuild me?::_

_::Depends on what materials we find:: _Ratchet said _::We won't know for sure until we get there::_

_::Goodie:: _Ironhide rolled his eyes with a sigh.

_::I'm being called, just wanted to make sure everything was all clear, keep us informed::_

_::Yes sir::_

_::We'll be checking in later.:: _There was a silence, and then Ratchet commed Ratchet-style, ::_Have fun, 'Hide_::

_::Oh, go shove it up your exhaust, Ratch:: _Ironhide grumbled as the communication was closed. He sighed deeply as he scanned the property for threats. A sudden commotion at the side of the house caught his attention, but an excited squeal from Sarah had him relaxing. She got up and ran over to the four people that had joined the crowd. A quick scan revealed this to be the family that had been in Chicago at the time of the attack. It seemed they were going to be the center of attention for the weekend.

Annabelle suddenly came over and plopped down beside Ironhide.

"I got caught," she smiled, "Jackie's really good at this game." Valerie laughed and ruffled her hair.

"Can you keep an eye on Rosalie for a minute, sweetie? I want to go say hi to your uncle Tom."

Annabelle looked down at the little baby leaning against Ironhide as though he was a pillow. She had her pacifier in her mouth and her eyes were almost closed, the perfect picture of contentment. Annabelle just narrowed her eyes at the little girl cuddled up to _her_ guardian, but agreed. Ironhide smiled in amusement, making a note to talk to her later, as he nudged her knee. Annabelle smiled shyly at him as Sarah came back over with two more children in tow.

"Annabelle, sweetie, can you take Timmy and Allison to play with the others?"

"M'kay mommy." She got up and motioned for the two to follow her. "Come on, we're playing hide'n'seek!"

"Don't worry," Sarah said to her uncle who had come up behind her, with a protective look on his face as he watched his children run off, "they'll be fine."

* * *

><p>The hours passed remarkably fast for Ironhide. He passed his time by scanning the property and listening to the war stories Will and Grandpa Ollie were telling. The old man reminded him of a lot of an old friend of his, Kup. The old Autobot always had a story to tell, how many of them were true was always open to debate, he was always entertaining.<p>

The children were still playing hide'n'seek, as they had been all afternoon, but the barbeque had been fired up, and the parents were calling them in. Most of them had already been caught and came eagerly to their parents' calls. Those that were still hiding came out quickly and joined the main group. Ironhide frowned slightly when his scan revealed two of them still missing, Annabelle and Allison. Will and Tom had apparently noticed too as Ironhide got up and went over to them.

"ANNABELLE! ALLISON! GAME'S OVER, IT'S TIME FOR SUPPER!" Will called, with Tom standing anxiously beside him.

"Where could they be?" He asked, chewing on his bottem lip.

"I'm sure they're on their way," Will said reassuringly, as his eyes scanned they shadows. The property was surrounded by fields and bush, either of which Annabelle was not allowed without an adult.

"But what if they're hurt? What if they're lost? Will, I can't lose my baby girl!"

"Thomas, get ahold of yourself!" Grandpa Ollie snapped as he came up beside them. Will shared a meaningful look with the dog before turing back to the crowd that had gathered.

"He's right, they couldn't have gone far," Will reasoned, "plus, we have a secret weapon."

Tom followed Will's look to Ironhdie, realization crossing his face as his eyes settled on the dog.

"Search and rescue right?" Tom breathed as his wife grabbed Allison's sweater from her chair.

"Best there is," Will assured as he crouched in front of Ironhide. As he "sniffed" the garment he shot a pointed look towards the thick bush, his sensitive scans already located the two missing children. Will nodded as he clipped a leash to Ironhide's collar.

"Alright buddy, find'em."

Ironhide shot towards the dense trees, careful to keep his nose to the ground to appear he was following the scent as he dragged Will forward. Tom, Sarah's father, and a few of the older cousins followed closely, eager to help anyway they could. He tried to find the clearest, and quickest, path for them to follow as they moved through the trees. The sun was starting to set, making the risk for predators or falling and injury grow as the shadows grew.

_::Ratchet to Ironhide, how goes the babysitting?::_

_::Not now Ratchet, Annabelle and one of the other younglings in missing::_

_::Missing? As in Decepticon missing or-::_

_::No, I mean hide'n'go seek missing::_

_::...come again?::_

_::They were playing a game and got lost in the bush::_

_::Are they okay?::_

_::As far as I can tell, I'll let you know once we reach them::_

He kept his sensors trained on the two figures waiting for them. At least Annabelle remembered the first rule of getting lost; stay in one place.

It didn't take long to find them, huddled together under a tree, with tears in Allison's eyes. Annabelle looked a little more confident as she scanned the bush around her, she knew Ironhide would find her. The group burst into the clearing quickly, causing the two little girls to jump in surprise.

"DADDY!" Allison sobbed as she got up and ran to her father. Tom pulled her up into his arms and held her tightly as the little girl cried. Annabelle got up and walked to her father with her head down.

"M'sorry daddy, we were just trying to find a hiding place, and we weren't going to go in that far, but then we got lost, and, and, I'm sorry." Annabelle mumbled quietly as Will knelt down and hugged her tight.

"We'll talk about it later, okay, kiddo," he said in his best parent voice. Ironhide just snorted and nudged his youngest charge.

"Thank you, Hyde, I knew you'd find me," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Ironhide cuddled her back for a moment before Tom came over with Allison in his arms. He knelt down infront of Ironhide and reached over to pet his head.

"Thank you," he said quielty, graditude shining in his eyes as Will picked Annabelle up. Ironhide shuffled forward and nudged Allison's arm gently. The little girl looked at him shyly before following her father's example and reaching for him. Ironhide licked her hand, earning a smile and a shy giggle as she brrowed back into her father's shoulder.

_::Ironhide to Ratchet, we got them::_

_::Condition?::_

_::A little chilled, and a few scratches, but they'll be fine::_

"Alright, everyone," Will said with a tender smile on his face as he grabbed Ironhide's leash again, "let's head back and get something to eat. I think this was enough exictment for one day."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Next chapter should be up soon enough! Decepticons will be making they're first appearance soon! See ya'll later! :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Author A/N:**

Wow, okay it is official ... Decepticons have invaded my life and taken over my technology. I'm serious! First my computer blows up, then my cell phone stops sending/receiving text messages, then my TV stops working, then my MP3 player dies (and because I don't have my computer I can't charge it T.T) ARG! So I offer my apologies for this later update -.-'

The only good that has come out of it is that I was granted the time to stop, really plan out the rest of this story, and do a little research to clear up some details and make it as believable as possible. :)

Once again, thanks to my beta (who was also having some computer problems but still managed to find time to read through this), so THANK YOU!

And thanks to all who have taken the time to show this story some love, I am amazed at just how popular it has become.

**Ollie-Marie: **Fanfiction always fixes everything :D That's why I love it so much! Grandpa Ollie has become a rather fun character to write, even though he was a spur-of-the-moment decision ;) I'm glad you made a positive connection! And yey for internet at the cottage! XD

**Chocokoko: **Lol, doggy-Ironhide is the best, but his time as our four-legged friend is coming to a close :( I don;t know how much I'll stick him back in this form again, but it's been a hoot! Ratchet is so much fun to write! Thanks for keeping up with this! :)

**clipchip: **Picking on Ironhide is so much fun, and so evil ... but maybe that's why it's so much fun X3

**Mieschers: **Glad you think so! It's always nice to hear from any new readers :)

**Transformers Obsessed: **I'm glad you enjoy it! And, to answer your question, yes and no. Yes because, as you mentioned, he was completely forgotten after he was killed. At first I was hopeful, like maybe that meant that he wasn't really dead and they'd bring him back, but as the movie progressed I was more and more heart broken. But, at the same time, no; because in wake of everything that happened, they didn't really have time to mourn. With Sentinal on the loose, and the Decepticons forming, and the government kicking the Autobots out, I don't think they had much of a chance to deal with it. I was still pretty angry that they didn't show _anything_. That had to be my biggest beef with the movies, they didn't have enough robot time, it was basically always on Sam ... :( But, based on Prime's violent final fight, I felt that he was mourning the loss, and took it out on Sentinal and Megatron, even if they never clarified that. But that's just me :)

**keacdragon: **It's rather amazing how they do that isn't it? I've watched videos on some of the most 'dangerous and violet' dogs doing a better job at baby-sitting than most humans XD

**SunlightOnTheWater: **Tell me about it ... at the last family reunion I attended there were like, 50-some people, and I only knew about 10 of them -.-' I love Ironhide and Annabelle time ... she really brings out the best in him XD

**LionLover190: **I'm glad to hear it! Thanks for sticking with this, it really means a lot! :D

**Cybela: **Thanks! I wanted to make it that nothing super-natural and hard to believe happened. I wanted to make it a real 'this could've happened' situation, and I'm glad people are responding to that :) Hope this lives up to what you were hoping for!

**Silver Mirror: **I would so take in a Autobot-turned-canine in a heartbeat XD they would make the best pets without leaving any messes behind ;)

**GavinDarklighter: **Of course he wouldn't, not with his 'big, tough reputation' and all XD I love writing Hide and Ratchet! They work so well off each other, and they really care for each other (even if they would never admit it out loud) ;) Annabelle is adorable, and she's a hoot, and easy to write which is always a plus in my books.

**Botosphere: **I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you just how much it means to have your approval for this story. I absolutely love how you write for this category, and you've been an inspiration for a lot of the happenings in my fic. So I'm absolutely thrilled you like it :) Especially for approval of Ironhide and Ratchet ... they are my favourite bots to read about. And it is fun to have Hide like this ... but I agree, it's just not Hide, so hopefully he'll be back to normal and a royal pain in everyone's -coughRatchetcough- afts soon enough XD

Again, thanks to everyone for your continuing support ... I would crash and burn without you :)

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership over the Transformer franchise, this is meant to be strictly for entertainment purposes.

* * *

><p>Things remained pretty quiet after the search party returned to the house. Allison sat with her parents quietly while Annabelle hung out with Ironhide up on the porch. As soon as it got dark enough, a fire was lit and Ironhide was left alone as Annabelle went to roast marshmallows. Grandpa Ollie passed by once, but other than that things were quiet. Ironhide only moved when Grandpa Ollie came back outside and sat down beside him with a sigh.<p>

"Nice night, don't'cha think, mutt?" Grandpa Ollie said with a contented sigh as he leaned against the one of the porch beams. "Stars are out, fire is going, surrounded by family ... after a lifetime on the battle field it's easy to learn to appreciate the little things in life. And that's what it felt like, the war, that is. You couldn't think too far ahead, 'cause you didn't know when, or if, you were going to make it home ... just had to take it one day at a time."

_'Trust me human, I know the feeling.'_

Ironhide kept one ear tuned into what Grandpa Ollie was saying, and one on the rest of the family. He was scanning the property more frequently; one close call with his charge was one too many for his liking.

"We didn't have all the fancy-schmancy toys the army plays with today, like those giant robots that hit Chicago. Could've used a few of those back in my day, might've saved a lot more lives," Grandpa Ollie sighed as he gently rubbed Ironhide's head. Ironhide stiffened slightly at the mention of the battle He knew some humans still held resentment towards them for the loss of human life.

"You wouldn't have known how to deal with those 'fancy-schmancy toys' back in your day, old man," Will laughed as he came over and sat on the steps.

"Yeah, but the enemy wouldn't've known either ... could've just thrown them at them and taken over when they were trying to figure them out," Grandpa Ollie smirked then gestured back towards the fire, "the natives getting restless?"

"Yeah, be a whole lot easier if I could just shoot'em and be done with it." He grumbled. Ironhide snorted and roughly nudged his shoulder.

"William!" Grandpa Ollie scolded, but there was laughter in his eyes, "how many times do I have to tell you? You gotta poison them all, easier to cover up your tracks that way."

Both men laughed, as the fire crackled and popped in the fire pit.

"What about this ol'boy?" Grandpa Ollie asked as he rubbed the top of Ironhide's head roughly. "He got any family?"

Will actually froze and looked over his shoulder at his fuzzy guardian. The topic of family had never really came up with them before.

"You know ... I'm not really sure."

"What about his owner, Rick, or whatever his name is."

"Ron Hatchett," Will corrected as he poked Ironhide's shoulder, "and he's had Hyde for a long time, as long as I've known him in fact."

"Raised him from a wee pup then?" Grandpas Ollie laughed as Ironhide gently bit Will's hand.

_'I've changed my mind, you own me waaay more than a single wash and wax.'_

"Sure, let's go with that answer," Will smiled as the two of them playfully wrestled with each other. Ironhide tried to pin the man's arm while Will tried to push the dog onto his side. They stopped as people started getting up and moving away from the fire, children draped over shoulders and yawning. A quick glance at his internal clock informed Ironhide it was already 11:50 pm. Will stood up as Sarah walked up with Annabelle in her arms and Tom and his family in tow.

"Can you take her upstairs while I get these guys settled?" Sarah asked.

Will took his daughter in his arms. He kissed her forehead as Grandpa Ollie stood with a groan and Ironhide sat up.

"It's been a long day," he said with a yawn, "bed sounds like a good idea."

* * *

><p>Ironhide, back in his humanoid form, sat at the foot of Annabelle's bed, as the little girl snuggled on his lap, and watched as Sarah and Will wrestled with the air mattress.<p>

"Sarah, let's face facts," Will grumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair, "this is as good as it's going to get unless we start moving furniture out into the hall."

"I thought we had this worked out already," Ironhide said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "Annabelle in her bed, you two on the air mattress, and I'm tucked neatly in the corner."

"No, that's what _you_ had worked out," Sarah snapped at him, "you, out of all of us, deserve a good bed to sleep on and I am _not_ leaving you to sleep on the floor like a dog."

Will arched an eyebrow and glanced meaningfully at Ironhide. Ironhide smirked, amusement clear in his eyes, but said nothing.

"Okay, bad example."

Ironhide chuckled deeply as he maneuvered Annabelle down onto her pillow. The little girl was already sound asleep and completely oblivious to what was happening aroud her.

The house was quickly going quiet as the family settled in for the night. Sarah had exhausted every resource, every pillow, blanket, source of padding, and spare stuffed animal to ensure everyone's comfort. Tom and his family were in the living room downstairs, Grandpa Ollie was in the spare bedroom with Rosalie, Valerie and Aunt Astrid, and Sarah's parents were in master bedroom with a few other cousins. Every single horizontal surface was officially packed.

"Sarah, I sleep on a metal berth almost every night, I think I can handle one night on the floor," Ironhide said softly with a hand on her shoulder. Will was already trying to get comfortable on the air mattress, pillow propped against the wall, and feet barely half and inch from hanging off the end. He sighed and shifted again, cursing as his elbow connected roughly with the wall.

"Yeah but ..."

"No 'buts', Sarah, if it will make you feel better you can wash and wax me once I'm back to normal."

Sarah laughed quietly as she pulled him into a tight hug.

"I promise," Ironhide mumbled against the top of her head, "I'll still be here when you wake up." He gave her a knowing smile as he pulled back and shifted down into his dog form. Sarah blushed and nudged his shoulder with her foot as she settled down beside her husband. The mattress was just wide enough for them to lay shoulder to shoulder without falling off, but Will only shifted and wrapped an arm around her with a happy sigh. Ironhide curled up near the head of the mattress, half under Annabelle's bed, and still in plain sight for Sarah. He did one last quick scan of the property before allowing himself to slip into recharge.

* * *

><p>Hidden in a cave, deep in the Amazon rainforest, a set of red optics scanned the sky nervously. The hulking metal mass growled as it shifted back into the shadows and retreating deeper into the earth.<p>

"You shouldn't fret so much, Bludgeon," a dark, silky voice spoke from the shadows, "the Autobots are still preoccupied with their own, they aren't focused on us."

"Not yet they aren't," the Samurai-like Decepticon growled, "they'll be even more likely to come after us once they realize not all the Decepticons have fled the Earth."

"Well then perhaps we should make our move before we are discovered."

"And what do you propose we do, Mindwipe?" Bludgeon asked, irritation beginning to leak into his voice.

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk robot emerged from the shadows like some kind of nightmare, a cunning grin on his faceplates.

"We get rid of Prime's strongest pillar; you saw how shattered their forces were when they believed their weapons specialist was gone," Mindwipe purred as the daggers at his wrist glittered in the faint light.

"Are you mad?" Bludgeon roared, rounding on his companion with a snarl. "If Sentinel Prime, a _Prime_, failed to kill him, what makes you think we could do any better? Especially now, when the Autobots are keeping a closer eye on him than ever, and we are fighting alone?"

"Ah, but there's the beauty in it all," Mindwipe grinned, completely unfazed by his partner's anger. "Ironhide has never been one to be tied down and babysat. He'll be out on his own sooner or later, and he is in a more vulnerable frame now, so one hit would probably take him out. Once he is killed the other Decepticons will come to work for us."

Mindwipe grinned as he watched the information sink into Bludgeon's processors.

"Think about it," he urged, "Bludgeon; the Decepticon that killed the almighty Ironhide. You know the price Megatron has on his head-"

"_Had _on his head. Megatron is dead."

"Regardless, your name would go down in history."

"What, you don't want a piece of that fame? You're awfully eager to push this one me."

"You can have the weapons specialist, I want the chance to take out Optimus Prime."

"You have a death wish," Bludgeon growled, but he was beginning to see the plan play out in his head.

"All we need to do," Mindwipe purred with a murderous grin, "is to get the weapons specialist under my control, and the rest is easy."

* * *

><p>Morning was a rather sluggish event at the Lennox household. Sarah's parents had woken up first and started preparing breakfast, a never-ending line of bacon, eggs, toast and coffee. It wasn't long before the mouth watering smells worked their magic and slowly started waking the others.<p>

The rest of the morning went by without a hitch, and before too long bags were being packed and vehicles loaded in preparation for long drives home. Ironhide stayed curled up on the front porch with Annabelle as Sarah hugged each and every one of her family members as they left. Grandpa Ollie and Sarah's parents were almost done packing their vehicle when a flash of familiar colors coming towards the house had him perking up. He barked twice before hopping off the porch to meet Ratchet.

_::What the slag are you doing here, medic?::_

_::A situation has come up. Prime wants you back on base::_

Will came out the front door of the house with Grandpa Ollie just as Ratchet's holoform stepped out of the driver's seat of the S&R hummer. The confusion on his face faded to a concerned frown as they moved forward.

"Ratc-I mean, Ron, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, so _you're _Ron Hatchet," Grandpa Ollie smiled warmly as he extended his arm for a handshake, "I'm Oliver Looke."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Ratchet shook his hand warmly.

"You've got one heck of a dog here, lad," Grandpa Ollie said with a grin as he rubbed Ironhide's head.

"I've been told that before," Ratchet said with a grin as he wrapped an arm around Ironhide's neck and pulled him roughly towards him.

_::I will kill you, medic::_

"Has he behaved himself, Lennox?" He asked, ignoring the weapons specialist as he gave the dog a playfully rough noogie.

_::Kill you dead::_

"Did you expect anything but the best from him?" Will laughed as he watched they murderous expression on Ironhide's face.

"Funny, now why can't you ever behave for me?" Ratchet asked dryly as Ironhide nipped at him.

"Hey, Ron, what are you doing here? We weren't expecting you until later tomorrow," Sarah asked as she and Annabelle came over to them.

"Things cleared up with my family, so I thought I'd come get Hyde early. Ironically enough I just got a call from base, and I'm needed back there ASAP."

Will straightened up at Rachet's words, a serious expression his face. Sarah chewed her lip as her parents called for Grandpa Ollie to get in the vehicle. He and Will said their farewells as Sarah walked over to give the three of them a proper goodbye.

"You're taking him away?" Annabelle asked with a sad look on her face. Ratchet smiled warmly and knelt down to her level.

"Just for a little while, kiddo," he said as Annabelle wrapped her arms around Ironhide's neck. "Then he can come back, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Annabelle sighed sadly, but nodded and gave Ironhide a quick kiss before running over to say goodbye to her grandparents. Ratchet and Ironhide shared a meaningful look, and the weapons specialist trotted over to the idling hummer.

"Don't worry yourselves," Ratchet said quietly to Will, "it's nothing that requires immediate N.E.S.T. attention, but Prime wants 'Hide back where we can keep an eye on him."

_::I can hear you, you know::_

Ratchet grinned at Ironhide's growl, and shook off Will's questioning look.

"We'll keep you updated, but Mirage is hanging around to keep an eye on things around here," Ratchet said as he turned to open the door for Ironhide, "and he'll bring you back to base once your leave is complete."

Like Sam, the Lennox family had an Autobot panic button to use in case of emergencies. However, most of the time, one of the Autobots was standing guard over the Lennox ladies. They seemed to like getting away from the hassle of the N.E.S.T. headquarters for a few hours.

"Thanks Ratch, take care of Ironhide for us," Sarah said coming back over as her parents drove down the driveway waving. Will frowned when his phone beeped, alerting him of a new text.

"Don't I always?" Ratchet grinned, then laughed as Will showed him and Sarah the text ('I can _still _hear you.), before he winced lightly as Ironhide bit his armrest. He gave them both a quick wave as he opened the door to hop back into his alt mode, holoform fading as they drove away. Ironhide waited until they had turned back onto the highway before shifting out of his dog form.

"Aw, and here I was just getting used to having a dog-ompf!" Ratchet cut off as Ironhide kicked his dash.

"I hate you," Ironhide grumbled, then rested his feet on the dash as Ratchet laughed.

"Get your boots off me, you big sparkling."

"Yeah, yeah," Ironhide said as Ratchet clicked the locks to his doors closed, "so what's going on?"

"Jolt encountered a Decepticon drone while on patrol," there was a tenseness in Ratchet's voice that made Ironhide swing his feet back to the floor and sit up a little straighter.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine, but it was a bit of an optic opener that there are still Decepticons in hiding," Ratchet said as he sped up a little. Ironhide frowned lightly as he watched the scenery go by.

"Why am I not surprised," Ironhide sighed, "there were what? Some 200 Decepticons that came through the space bridge; it was foolish to believe they all left once the fighting was done. However, that still doesn't really explain the sudden pick-up service ..."

"Prime doesn't want you out on your own while you're like this, you're too vulnerable."

Ironhide narrowed his eyes and sighed heavily as he crossed his arms over his chest. The locked doors suddenly held more meaning than just keeping him in; they were also keeping anything else _out._ It was Ratchet's way of protecting something: don't let the enemy get to it.

"Don't argue on this one, 'Hide," the medic growled in warning. "You can't deny the facts this time."

"I'm not arguing, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," he huffed. Ratchet just sighed a heavily, patient sigh, before falling silent.

_::Prime to Ironhide, are you with Ratchet yet?::_

_::Yes Prime, the babysitter has picked me up already::_

_::Ironhide ...:: _The black mech winced slightly at the annoyed paternal tone of Prime's voice. Thankfully he was quickly distracted a familiar yellow vehicle appeared in front of them.

_::Bumblebee? What are you doing here?::_

_::Hey 'Hide! Prime's orders, I'm your backup::_

_::Oh goodie:: _Ironhide huffed, but couldn't find it in him to be annoyed or angry at the young scout.

_::It's for your-::_

_::'Own good,' I know Prime, I know::_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **For here, things will be getting a bit more serious ... and in that note, if anyone out there is a big fan of Mindwipe or Bludgeon and I make any mistakes on them I encourage you to tell me. I'm mostly going off Transformer wiki information to learn about them -.-' Also, my dearest mother has recruited me to do some house work for her, so I honestly have no clue when the next chapter will be up ... plus my lap top still needs to be fixed :) Till then! _  
><em>


	6. Chapter 6

**Author A/N:**

Yey! Another chapter, and my longest one yet :)

Some of you have probably notice my name change. I'd been meaning to do this for awhile now, but kept putting it off ... now it's done :D

**Silver Mirror: **I'm glad to hear it, it was tricky to find Decepticons to use as my 'bad-guys' that hadn't already been killed in one of the movies -.-'

**Exactlywhat: **Of course! You can't have a good Transformers fic without Ironhide blowing some 'Cons up XD I tried to keep this story different, it adds a bit of variety for the readers to enjoy ^.^

**Mieschers: **bwahahaha ... Ratchet finally has some solid blackmail on old 'Hide :3

**Boducky: **I actually cried in the theater when I watched it :( And it's rather fun to pick on 'Hide like this ... I may have to do it more often ;)

**Cybela: **Yey for being addicted to fanfic! :D I really enjoy Hide and Ratchet interactions, they work really well with each other ... I'm glad you feel I am giving them proper justice :)

**Chocokoko: **Yeah, that was my reaction when I looked up Bludgeon too ... but he really is a samurai Decepticon XD

**Botosphere: **lol, but who`s going to keep the twins in line if you send me darling Bradley (who, I will say, you may never get back again ... not that I would kidnap him and keep him locked in my closet or anything ... ;D) I actually entertained the idea of letting `Hide on the bed, but then I saw the size of my cousins bed (she`s 7 and a half), and with all the stuffed animals she has, there was barely any room for her :) I kinda pictured Annabelle`s to be like that too ... after all, she is spoiled by all her Autobot buddies ;)

**mondaysnoon13: **Awesome! I`m so glad you like it! :D I was so mad when they killed him off ... my favourite character too T.T And Mirage will be kicking around here and there, no worried about that ;)

**Tsukimine12: **Bee is one kick-aft little bot, I love having him around :D

**Tomboy96: **Same as mine ... a whole lot of people, and a whole lot of soul to go with them ... time spent with them is never boring ;)

**SunlightOnTheWater: **Grandpa Ollie is a hoot ... we`ve all got someone in the family that we can relate to him :D And Ironhide will have his shining moment! ;)

**keacdragon: **Here`s more for ya! Hope for like it :)

**hummergrey: **As awesome as fanfic is, reality still needs to apply to some level, so I`m glad this felt real to you, it really means a lot :) Hmmm ... dog-Ironhide drabbles ... :3

**laureas: **I still really enjoyed the movie, it was filled with some pretty kick-aft fighting :D Glad to have you here!

**ALIENmantis: **Here`s another day-brightener for you :) Is that the reason they killed him off (other than him being the next biggest threat besides Optimus)? That's heartbreaking ... T.T

And here we go! Bit more action happening now, things are going to start picking up :)

And special thanks to my beta for helping me smooth over the rough edges :)

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership over the Transformer franchise, this is meant to be strictly for entertainment purposes.

* * *

><p>Ironhide sighed deeply as the pilot called their final descent. He was still sitting on Ratchet's passenger seat, legs hanging out the open door so he could converse with both Ratchet and Bumblebee, who was sitting next to them in his alt form. The plane was taking them back to Diego Garcia, their temporary base until the one in Chicago was repaired, or they found a new one. The tropical island also provided the public with a comfortable distance from the Autobots until they became more used to with them.<p>

Prime had called all the Autobots in for an emergency meeting as soon as the plane touched down. Ironhide had a sinking feeling it was going to have something to do with the return to the Arc, not just the drones.

"Legs in, Ironhide," Ratchet said as they plane bumped down, "we're gone as soon as the door opens."

Ironhide didn't respond, other than rolling his eyes, but turned to sit properly and close the door. Bumblebee gave a cheerful chip as the plane slowed to a crawl.

"I still don't see what all the fuss is about," he huffed as the plane's cargo doors slowly opened.

"There are still Decepticons out there," Ratchet said slowly as though he was speaking to a child, "and you're a bigger target than ever."

"It's a couple of drones," he growled as Ratchet and Bumblebee quickly exited the plane and drove towards the Autobot hanger. "Anyone of us could take them out in their sleep, the humans included."

"That's not the point, glitch head."

"Then enlighten me, medic, what the slag is the point?"

"The point," Optimus suddenly cut in as he moved forward, "is that there is still enemy activity, despite the lack of a known leader." He turned to face the other 'bots, who had formed a semi circle around him, as Ironhide got out and Ratchet and Bumblebee transformed. The young scout offered Ironhide a hand up so he was on a more comfortable conversation level.

"These drones are not programming themselves," Optimus continued, "someone is pulling the strings, and we need to find out who it is."

"There have been 3 drone sightings over the last three days," Jolt said as he activated a hologram map of the Earth. Three glowing points, one located in South American, and the other two in Central America. "The fourth was the one I encountered, here, just east of Chicago."

Only then did Ironhide notice the numerous dents and scratches covering the blue mech. As Ratchet said, nothing life-threatening, not even anything to see the medic about.

"It wasn't looking for a fight," Jolt continued, oblivious to Ironhide's look, "it tried to flee as soon as it detected me."

"Which is consistent with what the other drones have been doing," Sideswipe added, "it seems more like they're …"

"Looking for something?" Bumblebee said, quoting the line from some movie or another.

"No, not looking for something, I'd say more like … testing us," Sideswipe frowned as he tried to gather his thoughts. "They make a lot of noise; just enough to catch our attention, then disappear just before we get there."

Everyone fell silent for a few minutes, letting numerous theories play out in their processors.

"But … why?" Roadbuster finally asked.

"The obvious answer is that someone wants to see if another attack is worth it," Ratchet said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "The Decepticons are even more dangerous now since, they literally have nothing left to lose."

"They'll keep fighting until they are off-lined, and try to take down as many of us as they can," Ironhide, agreed from his place leaning against Bumblebee's thumb. He glanced at his Prime, noticing the small frown on his face plates.

"You think it's something more."

It was not a question, and Optimus sighed as he turned and met Ironhide's piercing gaze.

"I won't know for sure until we figure out who's behind this," he said, closing the conversation before it even started, "but that leads us to our next problem …"

"Would it really be wise for us to leave earth if the Decepticons are planning an attack?" Ratchet added, cutting in seamlessly.

"You are not seriously thinking of leaving me like this," Ironhide growled as he shifted his weight to stand straight, glancing between the two 'bots.

"It would be a temporary delay," Optimus reasoned, clearly seeing the fight that was brewing behind those blue, humanoid, eyes.

"Temporary or not, if it's going to be that big of a problem then you'd be better off with me back to normal to fight."

"We don't even know how long it will take your spark to settle into the new frame," Ratchet pointed out. "It took months for you to recover, it could take months again."

"And would you let me out to fight if I stayed like this?" Ironhide challenged. Optimus and Ratchet both remained silent, giving him an answer without needing to voice it.

"Exactly, so what difference does it make if I'm lying in the med bay or sitting on my aft here in command?"

"How much time do you need on the Arc?" Jolt asked suddenly, flinching slightly as Ironhide shot him a glare for interrupting.

"Like I said before, it all depends on what I find," Ratchet sighed. "There's no doubt that there are lots of parts up there, but I'm going to need more time to more time to assemble them in one place if I have to build a frame from scrap."

"What are the other options?"

"Every ship used to carry a couple of blank protoforms in storage for emergency purposes. It was a quicker solution simply to transport the spark and CPU of a severely damaged mech into a new frame rather than try to repair him. If we're lucky, the Arc may still have one or two on board somewhere, and we can use them."

"And if there isn't …?" Sideswipe asked.

"A new frame will have to be made completely from scratch," Ratchet said with a small frown, "and that would probably take twice as long, provided there are no interruptions."

Ironhide growled lightly and pinched the bridge of his nose, as though trying to fight off a headache.

"And you won't know that until you get up there. And the sooner you get up there, the sooner you get back, and the sooner we can deal with the Decepticons."

"We will go up tomorrow, as planned, on one condition …you are not to leave this island." Optimus said as he turned to face his weapons specialist.

"_What? _Come on, Prime, you can't be-"

"I am dead serious, Ironhide, unless the base is blown up under your feet and there is nothing left when we return, you will not leave."

Ironhide glared, biting his tongue to hold back the angry words sitting at the back of his throat.

"Any drone activity," Optimus continued with a glare of his own as he addressed everyone, "will be dealt with by the others, and if a Decepticon becomes known, we are to be contacted immediately, understood?"

A series of "Yes sir's" and "Understood" answered him, but Ironhide continued to glare.

"If the Decepticons attack this base," he said carefully as he caught Optimus' gaze, "I will become part of the fight."

"Ironhide-"

"That's the best I can offer you, Prime."

Optimus sighed heavily, but there was a small smile on his face as he nodded to the warrior.

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't," he agreed, "but I pray it will not come to that."

* * *

><p>The next couple of days passed quickly at the base. The Wreakers had worked their magic on the remains of the <em>Xantium<em> to provide Optimus and Ratchet a suitable ship to carry them to the moon, and return with any parts they found. The launch had gone off without a hitch, and since then there had been no more drone activities. Ironhide almost wished there would be an attack, or something, to liven up the place. Will had returned to base with Mirage shortly before Ratchet and Optimus had left.

"He's to sit, stay, and be a good boy," Ratchet said with a completely straight face. Will had cracked up as Ironhide growled promises of bodily harm to the medic, but promised to help keep him on the island. Someone had even started a betting pool going on how long it would take Ironhide to crack and just ditch, but so far Will was winning.

Ironhide passed most of the time doing a full inventory of the weapons he was currently equipped with. Both arms transformed into cannons, his rarely used hidden blade came out of his wrist over the back of his hand, and two high-powered rifles were held in his back compartment. He had then spent the better part of one day on the shoot range, testing his aim and blowing off steam.

Two days after the ship left, he was beginning to feel bored. The others had tried to keep him entertained, but these peaceful times wore at his nerves.

Later that day, Will found him sitting in a swivel chair in one of the rarely used offices, absently pushing off the desk to keep up the spinning motion.

"How long have you been doing that?"

"'bout 30 minutes, why?"

"Ugh," Will moaned as he grabbed the back of the chair when it came into reach, "stop it, you're making me dizzy."

Ironhide just rolled his eyes, putting his feet up on the desk with a long sigh as Will leaned back against the desk.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, as though he was afraid his guardian would snap at him. Ironhide glared at him, but just huffed as he got up.

"Yeah, I'm just fragging fine," he commented as Will followed him out of the room, "so you can pass the word around and get the others to slag off."

Ironhide had grown used to the almost constant presence of his human charge at his side, with the result that Will was one of the few that could approach him right now without risk of bodily harm.

Will didn't comment, but he grabbed Ironhide's arm to lead him down another hall. Ironhide shot him a questioning look, but Will just smiled and kept walking. It was an open invitation; Ironhide just wasn't sure what he was being invited into. Finally he decided to follow, hoping it would be something that could keep him entertained for a while.

He followed his charge until they ended up in the N.E.S.T. garage for ordinary vehicles and watched as Will moved towards a couple of quads. He smirked slightly as the human grabbed a couple helmets and tossed one at him.

"They said stay on the island, and it's a pretty decent sized island."

* * *

><p>Bludgeon fiddled with one of his long swords as Mindwipe stood at the mouth of the cave. The green mech turned to him with a smooth grin as Bludgeon, once again, voiced his frustrations.<p>

"Mindwipe, Prime and the medic left two days ago, how long are we going to wait?"

"We wait until the Autobots have slipped into a false sense of security."

"If we wait any longer, they'll be back before we attack," Bludgeon growled and gripped his sword in an unconscious threat. Mindwipe merely waved him off and walked past him, deeper into the gloom of the cave. Bludgeon rolled his eyes, but reined in his temper and turned to follow.

"So when do we attack?" he asked again, halting as one of their scouting drones came into the cave. No words were exchanged, the drone merely nodded once, then turned to leave again. Mindwipe turned to face Bludgeon, matching grins on their faceplates.

"We attack now."

* * *

><p>The ride around the island turned out to be a pretty decent experience. Ironhide had left the helmet behind, pointing out that nothing as primitive as a quad would have enough force to kill him, and he didn't have a brain to protect from concussion. Will just laughed as they tore out of the garage, racing away over the sands.<p>

Ironhide found that he greatly enjoyed the feel of the wind through his hair. It added a kind of reckless excitement to the whole experience that brought a grin to his face.

The two of them didn't stop until they reached the opposite point of the island from the base. Ironhide wanted some alone time, and Will had given him with the best thing he could provide. It was a little worrying to Ironhide that the human had learned to read him so well, but he found that, in the long run, he didn't really care. Will had proven time and time again that he was a good soldier, and a good friend.

He gave a long, deep sigh as they turned off the quads and Will took his helmet off, simply enjoying the silence and view of the sun setting over the water.

"It probably won't be long until one of them notices you're gone," Will commented as he lazed against the handle bars.

"Probably," Ironhide agreed as he let some of the tension leak out of his frame. He turned off his comms and sensors, simply enjoy the silence. "Thank you, Will."

"I figured you could use something like this," Will said with a small smile, eyes never leaving the scene in front of them, "you've never been one to be baby sat or stay in one place for too long."

Ironhide just hummed quietly in agreement, then sighed as the sound of an approaching motor filled the air. Neither of the two quad riders turned to look as Sideswipe pulled up behind them. The silver mech didn't transform; he seemed content now that Ironhide was back under someone's supervision, but Ironhide shot him a glance.

"Exactly twelve minutes, it only took you guys twelve minutes to notice I was-"

**-BOOM-**

Ironhide was cut off midsentence as a loud explosion rocked the island, and a pillar of smoke rose into the air above the base. Sideswipe transformed quickly with a loud curse as the sound of Cybertronian jets and sirens filled the air. Six Decepticon drones flew through the smoke before peeling off into two teams of three. One group continued to fly straight, while the other turned back to launch another attack on the base.

_::Calling all Autobots, this is Sideswipe, what the pit is going on?::_

_::Well, I thought that was obvious:: _Jolt sent, sarcasm heavy in his words, _::it appears Decepticon drones are attacking the base::_

_::Well no shit Sherlock-::_

_::Guys, enough:: _Mirage snapped, _::has anyone managed to locate Ironhide?::_

_::Yeah, I'm with Sideswipe::_

_::We're with Will on the opposite side of the island from you:: _Sideswipe sent as he rolled forward on his wheels. Another whine from an approaching jet was all the warning the three males had before a second, separate rain of missiles came down on them. Ironhide and Will hit the dirt at the same time as two drones, both the same height as Sideswipe, landed.

_::Good, stay there, we've got it covered here:: _Mirage said as Sideswipe swung his blade at one of the drones. The other drone locked scanners on the two human figures and charged them

_::I'm going to need backup over here! I got two drones atta-GAH!:: _Sideswipe stumbled back as the drone took advantage of his divided attention and landed a hit to his shoulder. The silver mech growled as he drove forward to meet his enemy again.

"Will!" Ironhide shouted, gesturing to the nearby dusting of plant life as he transformed his arm into a canon, "get your aft to the trees!" He fired twice, hitting the drone in the leg before rolling out of the way of the stumbling frame.

"I'm not leaving you to fight that thing alone!" Will shouted back, but with a lack of any real weapon besides his handgun, he knew he didn't have much choice. He dodged with a yelp as the drone Sideswipe was fighting was thrown overhead, the silver mech following close behind.

"Slaggit, Will, I'll be right behind you,_go_!"

Ironhide watched with relief as his charge obeyed. The vegetation wouldn't offer much in forms of shelter, but it would be better than being out in the open. He shot again, hitting the same damaged leg and smirking in satisfaction as his enemy fell. He turned to fall back into the trees when a long, grey cord whipped forward and wrapped around his body, pinning his arms to his side. He struggled instinctively as the drone fought back to its feet and activated its engines.

"_Sideswipe_!" he roared as he was lifted sharply into the air, grunting in pain as the cords wrapped more tightly around him. The melee warrior turned his attention to the ascending drone and the weapons specialist in his clutches before rushing toward them, realization flooding over him like ice water.

_::Guys! They're after Ironhide! I need back up over here __**now**__!::_

Ironhide struggled against his bonds as the drone pulled him up and out of Sideswipe's reach. He cursed to himself and activated his blade, cutting through one loop of the cord. He was forced to grab the remaining cords to avoid falling back to the earth, and climbed up them reach the drone.

The drone, having noticed the weight shift of its prisoner's escape, growled loudly and flicked its wrist, causing the cords to crack like a whip. Ironhide cursed loudly as the momentum swung him towards the same cluster of trees he'd told Will to take cover in. He collided roughly with a tree trunk, grunting at the force of the blow before the drone was forced up again by an enraged Sideswipe.

Ironhide climbed back up, digging his blade into the exposed wiring of the drone's arm. He smirked as he pushed through metal and armour, causing the appendage to snap off just above the wrist. He quickly slashed at the drone's other hand as it made a grab for him before hauling himself up to the metal shoulder joint. He slammed his blade into armour again to keep his balance before transforming his other arm into a cannon and firing straight into shining red optics.

The blast took off a good chunk of its head, leaving only one cracked and flickering optic. The drone jerked back from the force of the blast and dropped several feet in altitude.

"Come on, pit slagger," Ironhide growled as he climbed down the drone's side, re-transforming his hand back to normal to grip while extending the blade over his other hand. He stabbed the drone's side, just level with its spark, and fired three times in quick succession, "you gotta do better than that if you want me."

He brought his legs up under his body in a mock crouch position before looking over his shoulder for a clear path, and jumped back, pushing off with his legs in a neat back flip. The drone was falling lifeless below him, and it was only then that Ironhide realized just how high up they had been.

'_Huh, didn't really think that one out,' _He thought dryly to himself as the ground rushed up to meet him. He closed his eyes and braced himself, silently praying that he'd somehow manage to hit the ocean and not the bright sand. He thought he heard the sound of shifting metal, but it was drowned out by the sound of air rushing past his ears. He let out a loud grunt of pain as something warm and metallic closed around his body, and was jolted roughly as the metallic something hit the ground and rolled twice before coming to a sudden halt.

He blinked, slightly dazed and sore as large metal fingers uncurled to reveal Bumblebee's worried face hovering above him. The yellow scout chirped in concern, but Ironhide smirked, a little wobbly at the edges, up at him.

"Nice catch, 'Bee," he said as he struggled into a sitting position, Sideswipe and Will quickly coming into view as Bumblebee gave out a shaky sigh sound.

"You glitch, were you trying to give me a spark attack?" Sideswipe growled as Ironhide stood up. "Do you have any idea what Prime and Ratchet would do to me if they came back and you were just a splatter on the sand?"

"You, what about me?" Will grumbled as Ironhide carefully scanned himself for any damage. "I'd be the one that would have to tell Sarah." He nudged the crushed frame of the fallen drone with his foot as Bumblebee let out an impressed whistle. "Only you could manage to take down a Decepticon like that and manage to walk away from it."

"It was just a drone, Will; if you had the proper weapons you could've done the same." Ironhide said as Mirage and Jolt approached.

"Yeah right, this is you we're talking about, stuck like-"

He was cut off as something small and round landed in the sand between them. Barely a second later, a loud hum filled the air as the grenade expanded. Will reacted and ducked behind the fallen drone as a bright white light and a sudden boom threw the closest Autobots off their feet. Ironhide flew backward until he collided roughly with the ground, optics displaying only static and numerous other sensors screaming errors at him. Something blunt slammed into his stomach, and Ironhide could just make out the outline of another drone before electricity filled his body, and he was forced off-line.

Will blinked through the tears in his eyes as the drone lifted Ironhide off the ground and quickly launched into the air. He shouted for the other Autobots, but Sideswipe and Bumblebee were still down, and Mirage and Jolt were just a few seconds too late.

They could only watch, helpless, as the single drone carrying a helpless Ironhide disappeared over the horizon.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Dundun_dduunn! _Hate to leave you with a bit of a cliff hanger ... hopefully the next chapter will be out soon :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Author A/N:**

Ugh ... real life sucks ...

Sorry for this delay, _and_ short chapter, but I just started at a new job working 8-5, 5 days a week and it's killer. On top of that, my lap top finally got 'fixed' ... but every file I had (including all the chapters to this story) were deleted T.T Silly me for not backing up my files ...

I've reached that point where I could really use some reader ideas ... I have a few details in my head, but need help filling in the spaces in between. So, drop me a review or private message and I'll see what I can do! :D

**Chocokoko: **Tell me about it, they say "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" ... but they ain't got _nothing_ on Sarah Lennox :P

**Exactlywhat: **Ah yes, Ironhide would _so_ own each and every one of the drones XD

**Mieschers: **bwahahaha! I like being evil XP

**Cybela: **I'd like to bring Grandpa Ollie in again ... but we'll see how everything works out. In this story; no, Sarah's family has no clue Will works with the Autobots. The way I picture it all is a "Yes, there are giant ailen robots here, but that's all you need to know," sort of situation. The government is good at confirming things to the general public, but not actually giving any details. I figured it would be a matter of safety to both the 'bots and the humans working with them if haters and lovers both didn't know top secret details. (Plus, with all the time they put into keeping it 'top secret' I can't see N.E.S.T. as anything different :D) Sorry for the confusion -.-' Hopefully this cleared it up :)

**Mytical-Mist-Devil: **Thanks for your approval! It means a lot that so many people are honestly enjoying this story :D

**Bumblebee'sGuardian: **lol, Ironhide's impatience grows on everybody at some point ... I actually caught myself threatening to blow up my stubborn lap top with a cannon if it didn't start working -.-'

**Botosphere: **So many questions! So little time! ;) All will be revealed soon!

**Silver Mirror: **This was my favourite too! I was going to keep going, but then decided it was long enough ... and was feeling a little evil. Bwhahaha ... evil cliff hanger is evil! XD

**Boducky: **lol ... you gotta fight me for him first, I got him locked in my closet next to Bradley Johnston (check out Botosphere's stories for detail about him)

**keacdragon: **short and sweet, eh? XD Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

**SunlightOnTheWater: **Hey, better late than never, right? I know right? I'm so evil to that poor mech :S And I'd stop, but it's so much fun XD

Whew ... I am absolutely blown away by the amount of love you guys are showing this :) Thank-you, I really mean that, Thank-you.

Special thanks to my beta!

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership over the Transformer franchise, this is meant to be strictly for entertainment purposes.

* * *

><p>Optimus Prime gazed mournfully at the lifeless frames that were scattered over the <em>Xantium.<em> Ratchet had scanned every single one of them, hoping to find a trace of spark energy, but with no luck. Every single crew member of the majestic _Ark_ had been extinguished long ago. He sighed heavily and walked across the metallic floor towards the ship's small, built-in infirmary where his companion was working.

The medic had thrown himself into his search once he realized no one could be saved. He had given Optimus a list of parts to search for, ordering him to sweep through the left side of the ship while he did the right. Optimus had done so without complaint, understanding the last thing the medic needed at that point was a hard time. They had spent the last couple days completing this sorrowful task, all the while searching for a blank protoform that would return Ironhide to normal.

So far, they had little success.

Optimus paused in the damaged doorway, watching as Ratchet fiddled with a control panel on the wall. He was muttering quietly to himself as he worked, causing Optimus to smile softly at the familiar scene.

"Did you get those parts loaded up?" the medic asked suddenly without turning from his work.

"Everything is ready to go."

Ratchet just sighed heavily and nodded, not once turning from the panel. Optimus stepped around a fallen berth as he moved to Ratchet's side.

"Any luck?"

"The ship is on its last drop of reserve power," Ratchet sighed. "The protoforms were kept in heavy storage, both to prevent damage should the ship crash, and to keep the enemy from finding them. Those security measures are so heavy we cannot simply force our way through; it's not hard to go through the system, but the lack of power makes it a slow process."

The added fact that they were running out of time was left unsaid. Earth's leaders had granted them access for this journey, on the condition they return in four days. So far, they'd been up here for three. Everyone had agreed that Optimus and Ratchet would only return with supplies that were immediately needed. The _Ark _wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and it was more hassle than anything for the humans to go to the moon, so they figured the ship and remaining supplies were safe.

"How far along are you?" Optimus asked, just as a sudden whirl of old gears filled the room. Ratchet stood back, a smug grin on his faceplates, as the wall in front of them shifted with a protesting moan to reveal a dark, closet-like space.

Optimus chuckled lightly as Ratchet moved forward, his lights laminating the small room. There was only enough space for one mech to enter, so Optimus held back while Ratchet ducked in. Each of the three walls had shelves with a space for two protoforms in pod mode. Ratchet simply stared, heavy-sparked, as the lights revealed nothing but empty space. Every single one of the pods that should be there were long gone, used on some ailing mech, or stolen by the enemy.

_'More like given to the enemy,' _Ratchet thought bitterly, remembering that this was Sentinel's ship. The mere thought of the traitor who almost succeeded at killing one of his oldest friends made a hot anger stab through his spark. He bowed his head, willing the anger away, as he tried to formulate a plan for building a full mech frame from scratch.

"Ratchet?" Optimus asked quietly from outside, already guessing the room was empty by Ratchet's reaction. He moved up behind the green mech and placed a hand on his shoulder, silently offering his support. Ratchet just sighed heavily and turned to leave, when a flash of reflected light caught his optic. He knelt down, not daring to believe, and couldn't stop the relieved chuckle from escaping his voice processor at what he saw.

There, tucked in on the bottom shelf, was a gleaming, silver protoform pod. It had been knocked off its original perch and rolled to rest in the corner against the wall, a little banged up, but it was there. Ratchet grabbed it gently, allowing the moon's lack of gravity to aid him, as he backed out of the closet with his prize.

"It will need a few minor repairs," he said while doing a quick scan, "but once I upload Ironhide's CPU files, we should be able to transfer his spark without a hitch."

Optimus had a feeling of joy and hope running through his frame as he stared at the silver pod. He was about to open his mouth to say something when a _ping _informing him of an incoming message caught his attention.

_::Jolt to Optimus::_

_::I'm here, friend, what is it?::_

_::We have a serious problem ...::_

* * *

><p>Ironhide woke slowly from his forced recharge. His processors were a little fuzzy and his scanners weren't picking up any signs of life, Cybertronian or organic. He slowly opened his eyes, but didn't move besides that, as he didn't want to alert any enemy that could be lurking nearby.<p>

The first thing he noticed, after he activated his night vision, was that he was in a large cave with no natural light. Second, he was lying on his side, probably dumped by the drone once he was brought in. And, third, he _hurt._ The electrical current used to knock him out would've been enough to do the same to any of the others, and in his temporary smaller frame he really felt it. He fought back a moan as he scanned the cave one more time for any sign of Decepticons before slowly working his way to his feet.

He staggered over to the closest wall, one arm wrapped around his abdominal plating where the shock had been delivered, and sagged against it in the shadows as he went over the facts. He had been captured by the Decepticon drones, which meant at least one named Decepticon had to be nearby. He definitely was not on Diego Garcia anymore, which meant the other Autobots and backup were probably very far away. His communications and tracking systems were down, no doubt victims of the electricity. And, finally, the drones had removed the two rifles that were kept in his back space, and his other weapons systems weren't working properly, also due to the electricity.

_'All and in all,'_ Ironhide thought dryly to himself as he leaned his head against the cave wall, _'I'm screwed.'_

The sound of heavy metal footsteps on rock suddenly filled the humid air, causing Ironhide to tense. Despite the errors that were flashing through his processor he managed to extend one of his blades as his watched from the shadows. There were no obvious exits from his prison, so he wasn't really surprised when a large chunk of rock was rolled out of the way to allow a large mech to enter. The mech that entered, however, did surprise him.

"Tsk tsk," Bludgeon mocked, "Ironhide, where have you scurried off to now? I hardly think this is the time for games."

Ironhide bit back a growl, carefully ducking behind a rock as Bludgeon walked around the edge of the cave. The Decepticon's skull-like mask gleamed in the dim light like a child's nightmare as he moved closer to Ironhide's hiding spot. He was dragging the tip of one of his swords along the ground behind him, creating a bone chilling _screech_ sound as the metal move over rock. Ironhide readied himself as the Decepticon came closer, a plan forming in his mind as he lifted his blade.

"We've got plans for you, little weapons master," the yellow and orange colored mech continued to taunt, "pity you won't know them, you'll be dead soon enou-ARG!"

Bludgeon jumped back in pain and surprise, holding one foot up for inspection. Ironhide had jumped from his hiding spot, just as Bludgeon passed it, and buried his blade deep in the Decepticon's ankle joint. It wasn't very serious damage, similar to a sprained ankle on a human. It would hurt, and slow Bludgeon down, but it wasn't life threatening, so Ironhide had to move.

He ran from the cave as Bludgeon shouted for the drones to recapture him. Using his reduced size to his advantage, Ironhide dodged most of them, slashing at the vulnerable points of those he couldn't. He wasn't a stupid mech when it came to his battles, despite what some of the others may think, he knew he was seriously outmatched here, so his first, and only, priority was escaping.

Using his small form to his advantage, Ironhide ran through the dark chambers, using his sensors that still worked to navigate towards the surface. He could hear Bludgeon cursing and snapping orders at the drones as they tried to locate him again, but Ironhide wasn't stopping. He turned down a long tunnel, smile on his face as he caught sight of natural daylight just around the corner. He would get out, figure out where he was, and then somehow get in contact with the others. He wasn't sure how long he'd been down there, but it had to have been long enough for the others to contact Prime and Ratchet.

He cursed and slid to a sudden stop as a large shadow filled the entrance of the tunnel. He pressed back against the rocky wall as two more drones joined the first one, standing guard at his only known escape. Ironhide could hear Bludgeon up ahead, no doubt the Decepticon had taken a different, shorter path to cut him off at the entrance, but Ironhide smirked as he heard the obvious limp in the mech's pace. Within seconds the large Decepticon stumbled into view. He seemed a little distracted, as if he were on his com with someone. Ironhide mentally went through a list of other possible Decepticons that could be working with Bludgeon. The list was short, but Ironhide had a pretty good idea of who it could be.

He could only pray to Primus he was wrong.

He cursed and slowly inched his way back as Bludgeon focused again and pushed one of the drones roughly, ordering it down the tunnel. He was still out of range of the drone's careful scanning, but that wouldn't last long. He stumbled suddenly as the wall behind him disappeared, looking back sharply to see a decent sized crack in the otherwise smooth surface. It wasn't big enough for any of the drones to take note of, but it was just the right size for Ironhide to squeeze into.

He was surprised to find that the opening extended back quite a way. If he had walked in straight his broad shoulders would have wedged him quite firmly between the rocks, so he moved forward at a slight angle, going deeper and deeper as the drone came closer. Just as the drone's silver foot came into Ironhide's view, the ground disappeared below him and he fell.

He landed with a frame-jarring splash on a slick, smooth surface. It was like being on one of those water slide things Annabelle was so fond of. The natural underground river had carved out a hollow tube, tall enough that he could sit upright, and wide enough that he had some elbow room. The water was moving quickly, and it wasn't long before Ironhide could hear the unmistakable sounds of falling water. He squinted as he came around a sharp corner and was greeted with a face full of natural light. The river exited the cave with a steep drop out into open jungle. He cursed and tried to grab onto something, but with no luck, and was quickly swept over the falls.

He kept his legs straight as he hit the water, and even with the aid of gravity, he still didn't touch bottom. He surfaced with a gasp and quickly swam to the shoreline, pulling himself up onto dry land and rolling onto his back. He laid there a minute while he tried to gather his thoughts.

_'I suppose that's one way to get out,' _he thought as he eyed the waterfall. He propped himself up onto his elbows as he looked around. The top of the mountain he just fell out of wasn't visible through the tree canopy overhead, and he was surrounded by dense jungle. The pool he landed in flowed on, becoming a river, and disappeared into the vegetation. He stood up slowly, rolling his shoulders as he tried to figure out what to do next.

"Now, now, weapons specialist," a dark, silky voice cut through the sounds of the jungle. Ironhide jumped and spun around. His movements were a little clumsy as the voice penetrated deep into his processor, slowly filling it like smoke. He caught a brief glimpse of red optics before his world went dark again. "There's no need for that, _be still."_

Mindwipe watched with satisfaction as Ironhide slumped to his knees, head bowed and arms loose, looking very much like a puppet that just had its strings cut. The nighthawk had been returning from a flight when Bludgeon had commed him and informed him of Ironhide's escape. His partner had told him he was guarding the main entrance and drones were searching the series of caves and tunnels, so he quickly landed and hid amongst the vegetation near the only other known opening. Sure enough, Ironhide had come tumbling out minutes later.

_::Mindwipe to Bludgeon, I've got him::_

_::Are you sure? That fragger still has some fight in him::_

Mindwipe smirked darkly as he caught sight of Ironhide's optics, glowing a faint red.

_::I'm sure::_

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

... this isn't really much better in terms of a cliff hanger is it? ... Sorry! -.-' Next chapter may not be out for awhile ... new job is killer.

PS: Never let your mother 'help' you clean your room ... she will vacuum up all your plot bunnies thinking they are dust bunnies ... T.T **  
><strong>


End file.
